Spooky Doom
by Estrella
Summary: The Nightmare Before Christmas & Invader ZIM crossing. Two scientists display very similar machines meant to travel to different dimensions. Of course, in these two worlds, things go quite wrong. Complete.
1. Preparations

Author's Note: Ok guys, I'll level with you. Long ago, about four years to be exact, I began my interesting life as a fanfiction author writing in the Invader ZIM fandom. It wasn't until two years into writing that I considered other fandoms and began work on my first "Nightmare" story. I never thought I'd be successful in either medium, but as it turned out, I really found my place in the fandom dedicated to The Nightmare Before Christmas. As happy as I was, it brought some sadness because it meant having to stop all of my works in the first fandom i ever wrote for in order to fully dedicate myself to my new fandom. In other words, this story was meant to bridge my old writing life with my new one, and I'm glad everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now, with no more misspellings or flaws, it'll be better than ever.

Spooky Doom

"Tonight, on Mysterious Mysteries," started an anchor for the show as the television blared the show's theme rather loudly. "Proof that the Easter Bunny is a real entity. We've asked-" he continued before the channel changed to what appeared to be a press conference about to start.

"Gaz!" the previous watcher of the show, a large-headed, bespectacled boy, exclaimed to the violet-haired girl sitting next to him. "I was watching that!"

"You don't own the TV, Dib," she replied through a squinted glare, as usual. "Besides, Dad's on tonight."

"He is?" Dib asked.

"Psh. Yeah, he's going to make some announcement about dimensions," Gaz said.

"That's tonight?" Dib asked in a nervous tone.

"Obviously," Gaz said as she pointed to the TV.

"Tape it for me," Dib said before leaping off of the couch in a heroic manner and running to his room.

"Psh, Dib." Gaz said in an irritated tone as she patiently waited for their father to make his television appearance.

There wasn't much time, that was for sure. Dib readied everything he could possibly take with him to that press conference. Knowing Zim, Dib figured the Irken would try to do something at that conference. After all, he'd tried to sabotage Professor Membrane's work before. Dib shuddered at the memory of Zim's near dominance of the Perpetual Energy Generator. Lucky for Earth, Dib had stopped the nefarious Irken. He hoped he could do it again this time, and maybe get some recognition for something other than his oversized cranium or 'insanity'.

"Stealth suit, check," Dib said as he pulled a black ski mask over his head, his scythe-shaped hair poking out of the hole on top as it fitted perfectly. "Alien sleepcuffs, transmitting watch, laptop, there, that's everything," Dib said to himself before climbing out of his window and out onto the streets.

Meanwhile...

The Pumpkin Sun had long set on the land of Halloween, but it was still full of life. Well, it's own brand of life anyway. The Mayor had spent the entire day driving around town announcing Doctor Finkelstein's latest creation. It appeared to be some kind of space adjuster or dimension opener, something along those lines. Whatever it was, it interested the Pumpkin King himself, who was on his way to the laboratory that very moment with his dog.

"I wonder what he's done this time, Zero," Jack said to the spectral canine beside him. "The Mayor sounded pretty excited about it. Then again, he sounds pretty excited over everything."

"Jack?" asked the subject of conversation as he caught up to the skeleton. "Hey, Jack, did you hear my announcement?" he asked.

"I sure did, Mayor. Think it'll be scary?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I hope it'll be horrible," the Mayor replied with a wide grin. "Doctor Finkelstein's been very secretive about this project. From what I've heard, it can bring changes to scaring. Big changes."

"That would be interesting," Jack said as the pair found themselves at the door to the lab.

They entered to find pretty much all of Halloween Town already waiting for Doctor Finkelstein to show them his invention. The one keeping track of everyone was Sally, Doctor Finkelstein's handmade assistant. She was making sure no one went upstairs before the doctor was ready to demonstrate what he had made. Sally was doing a good job of that too, until she saw Jack.

"Oh, um, Jack... I didn't know you were coming," Sally said, appearing a bit flustered.

"And miss the big night? He'd have to be crazy," the Mayor interrupted before walking over to chat with the witches and vampires.

"I haven't seen you in a while," Jack said to Sally.

"The doctor's been busy. I have to help him out and pick up his brains when he picks them out by accident. Sorry," Sally said, wringing her hands nervously.

"It's ok. We just have to catch up," Jack said.

"Oh, I haven't been doing anything interesting. Really," Sally said.

As the pair talked, neither noticed three small forms creeping past them. They snuck down the hall and snooped around before making sure no one had seen them. Without bringing any attention to themselves, they broke into the room with the very large DO NOT ENTER sign and began their work.

Meanwhile...

"Professor Membrane?" asked a stagehand as he walked around the backstage area of the press conference. "Professor? Pro-fess-or?"

"Yes?" asked a rather stately voice from behind the stagehand.

"It's time for your speech, sir," he said, bowing his head slightly to perhaps one of the greatest minds the stagehand would ever meet.

"Good, good," the professor said, making a shooing motion with his left hand. " Run along now."

"Yes, sir," the stage hand said before leaving the professor to collect his thoughts

"He smelled like chicken!" exclaimed the professor's abdomen.

"Quiet, GIR," shushed the 'professor' in a much different voice than the one he used to address the stagehand. "The only way we can get to that device is if no one suspects we're not the Dib's father."

"Ok!"

"Human stomachs don't talk, GIR."

"Do they sing?"

"No!"

"Awwwwwwww," GIR whined before becoming quiet.

"Alright, GIR, move the stilts to the stage," said the imposter as the one operating the body's legs moved to the stage, both unaware they were being spied on.

"I knew it," Dib whispered to himself. "I have to find Dad and get him to the stage before it's too late," he finished before a guard picked him up.

"Where's your backstage pass?" he asked the boy.

"I'm the professor's son."

"The crazy one?"

"Yes," Dib said reluctantly.

"Sorry to trouble you," the guard said as he put Dib down and watched him run off to the dressing rooms.

Meanwhile...

"Hurry up, you guys," Barrel said to Lock and Shock as he kept watch at the door. Whatever the pair were doing to the machine seemed to be taking longer than it should be.

"We can't take this to Oogie Boogie's lair. It's too big," Shock said as she and Lock tried to push the large metallic portal from its spot. "It won't budge."

"He said it was gonna be smaller," Lock said as he kicked the machine, hurting himself in the process.

"I guess he was wrong," Barrel said.

"Try telling him that to his face," Lock said as he hopped around on his uninjured foot.

"We should mess with it a little, just to see what happens. Might as well do something worth getting in trouble over," Shock said.

"Great idea," Barrel said as he ran from the door and pressed random buttons while the others pulled and un-pulled levers. Then, when they heard voices coming closer to the room, the trio hid under a metallic table and hoped for the best kind of mischief.

"Ladies and gentlemen, behold the Continuum Portal," said an elderly man in a wheelchair as he maneuvered himself into the room.

"Wow," Jack said, taking it all in. "It's so amazing."

"How did you come up with the idea of making it, Doctor?" the Mayor asked Doctor Finkelstein.

"Well, I wanted to take a break of creating solely terrors. So, I decided to create a way for us to travel to other places. If they exist, that is. You can say curiosity killed the cat," Doctor Finkelstein said, causing the Halloween Townsfolk to chuckle at the remark.

"Fascinating," Jack said as he inspected the machine even closer.

It was more of a metallic arch than anything. On it's right side was a control panel with an assortment of levers and buttons. Right now, it was humming silently. It was definitely turned on, however it took power. That struck Jack as a little odd.

"Is it supposed to hum like that?" he asked the Doctor.

"Strange. I don't remember turning it on," the scientist said as he opened his head to pick his brain. "No, I didn't do it," he said, causing some more chuckles, though more high pitched than before.

"Shhh!" Shock said to both boys beside her under the table before they heard footsteps and then saw a not very amused skull looking straight at them.

"Having fun, kids?" Jack asked through squared eye sockets. They were certainly in for it now.

To Be Continued...


	2. Twist of Fate

Author's Note: Welcome back to what hopefully becomes a successful mesh of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Invader ZIM. Remember, boys and girls, I own no characters. They belong to the warped minds of Tim Burton and Jhonen Vasquez, respectively. The situation is mine though, and I happen to think that's pretty spiffy, don't you?

"Hi, Jack," Lock, Shock, and Barrel chirped in their most innocent voices before the Pumpkin King dragged them out from under the table.

"I think I found out who turned the machine on, Doctor," Jack said as he plopped the three in front of the Continuum Portal's control panel.

"You three rascals," Doctor Finkelstein said to Boogie's Boys condescendingly.

"We were just playing, we didn't know it'd turn on," Barrel said as Lock and Shock nodded in agreement.

"A likely story," Doctor Finkelstein said before inspecting the control panel. "Well, it appears you didn't do _too_ much damage to it. You'll have to stay afterwards to fix anything you might have broken just in case."

"What!" the three exclaimed before seeing the look on Jack's face.

"We mean, ok," Lock said.

"I thought so," Jack said as he kept a close watch over the three.

"Now that the machine's already turned on, let's see what is out there," Doctor Finkelstein said as he began to press buttons on the panel.

Meanwhile...

"Dad?" Dib asked as he opened a door to find a room filled with chickens in wire cages. "No, this isn't it either," he said before he heard a slight groan in the room across from him. "Dad!"

Dib pretty much broke down the door with the combined force of his head and right shoulder. There seemed to be traces of a purple gas leaking out of the room that made the boy a little dizzy. Zim had been here alright. His father resting his head on his dressing room counter was proof of that. As far as Dib could remember his dad never took a break of his own will. It just wasn't in his schedule.

"Dad!" Dib yelled as he jumped up to the counter, grabbed his father's collar, and began to shake him. "Wake up, Dad! You're being sabotaged."

"What? Son? What are you doing here? You haven't raised the living dead again have you?" Professor Membrane asked as he regained the strength to hold up his own head.

"I already apologized for that," Dib said before shaking his head. "Dad, this is serious. Zim's out there pretending to be you so he can use your dimension thingy to destroy the world."

"Oh, that again. Son, it's good to see your interest in real science by your showing up here tonight, but you and your little green friend have to take your games somewhere else."

"This isn't a game," Dib said before looking past his father's left shoulder. "Look, he's on TV!"

Professor Membrane turned around to see that indeed there was a double of him on TV. To be honest, he wasn't a very good double. Right in front of his and Dib's eyes, the imposter began to cackle into the microphone. In an instant, the white labcoat came off, revealing that the real Professor Membrane was not on the stage. Instead, there was a short green boy standing on the shoulders of a small green and black dog operating stilts. By the time he actually started talking, both father and son had left to confront the imposter.

"Miserable stink creatures!" exclaimed the imposter as he jumped to the stage, allowing his minion to trip over the stilts onto the floor. "You have practically given me your planet to destroy with this device. I almost feel like this is too easy. Almost," he said, blue eyes widening before he cackled once more.

"Not so fast, Zim!" yelled a voice from the side of the stage as its owner stepped out to the imposter.

"Too late, Dib. I'm already going to open another dimension full of minions who'll follow my every command."

"I don't think so," Dib replied as he waved his right hand, calling guards his father had brought to seize Zim.

"GIR! Distract them," Zim ordered his 'pet' before running to the machine and pressing the buttons on its control panel.

Meanwhile...

"I see something," Sally said.

"Indeed, you do. It appears we are getting our first glimpse of another world," Doctor Finkelstein said as an image appeared in the portal.

"Wow, the people in that place sure like to run around. And dance with pigs," Jack said as he watched a small green dog tango about with a rubber pig as another pig exploded on a black-clad man who screamed in horror.

"Wow! That was cool," Lock said as he walked towards the portal.

"Don't get too close," Doctor Finkelstein warned.

"Or what?" Lock asked.

He didn't get the chance to hear an answer. At that very moment, a black-gloved, three fingered hand grabbed Lock and pulled most of him into the portal. Shock grabbed his ankle to pull him back only to be sucked in as well. Barrel tried to pull Shock back by clutching onto the fabric of her dress, but he too was being dragged into the dimension.

"Help!" Barrel exclaimed.

"Someone do something!" the Mayor yelled, about to pass out from terror.

"Hold on, Barrel," Jack said as he grabbed the boy's left hand. "Quick, someone grab my waist and anchor me here."

"I've got you, Jack," Sally said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, half in duty and the rest in pleasure.

"Everyone, form a line behind Sally. Pull as hard as you can," Jack ordered before turning to the scientist. "Doctor Finkelstein, you have to cut the power."

"If I do, it might get those brats stuck in between worlds. Good riddance I say, but Oogie Boogie will storm in here looking for them and that will cause more trouble than anything," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"Can you reverse the flow so that it pushes them back here?"

"That could work, Jack. Be ready to pull everyone," he said as he pulled a lever on the control panel.

Meanwhile...

"Come on, come on!" Zim said, felling strained to pull those minions into his dimension. GIR was on his last rubber piggy and those guards were just about ready to shock the life right out of Zim with their electric prods.

"Oooooh," GIR said, in awe of the dimension.

"GIR, go back to distracting," Zim said before something felt different. "What the-GIR! GIR, the dimension is sucking me in! GIR, anchor me!" Zim yelled as he was being sucked into the portal, with GIR grabbing onto his ankles to keep him in the present dimension.

"I got ya, master!" GIR chirped.

"Quick, grab the robot and pull on him," Dib said to the guards that were still conscious.

"Robot?" one of them asked.

"The green dog," Dib clarified.

"Oh," said the one guard as he and others picked up the dog and began to pull on it.

"I like this game!" GIR said as he held onto Zim, whose screams of terror could slightly be heard beyond the portal.

On both sides, the tug-of-war grew more fierce. The Halloween Towners weren't giving up, neither were the Membrane Guards. Then, as if by some sick twist of fate, something happened on both sides that transpired in a complete dimensional shift. In Halloween Town, Sally's wrist seams had become loose. As a result, her hands fell off, sending her and most of Halloween Town careening backwards and shooting Jack into the portal. In the press conference gone wrong, one of the guards tripped over a rubber piggy still left on the floor, breaking the chain and allowing the green dog and its master to be sucked into the portal. In mere seconds, six were uprooted from their own homes and taken to strange worlds none ever imagined to see in their wildest dreams.

To Be Continued...


	3. Close Encounters

Author's Note: Here's where the fun really begins, everybody. All characters in this story do not belong to me. They belong to either Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, and the Disney/Touchstone Pictures crew for The Nightmare Before Christmas or Jhonen Vasquez, Kevin Manthei, Steve Ressel, and Nickelodeon/Viacom for Invader ZIM. I am a rabid fangirl for both these fandoms, but have no real monetary gain from it. I just do this for fun.

The Halloween Towners put themselves back together, one literally, just in time to see movement from the Continuum Portal. It was of two short, spinning shadows speeding through before landing on the ground before the portal. When seen on closer inspection, the two appeared to be a green-skinned boy and his equally shaded dog. However, when the townsfolk gathered around them to see if they were alright, they were in for quite a surprise. It all started when the boy opened his eyes and let out the loudest scream ever heard in Halloween Town.

"Who are you?" he yelled.

"We're-" the Mayor started.

"Who are you?" the boy yelled again as his dog sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Will you-" Doctor Finkelstein started.

"WHO ARE YOU?" he yelled for one last time, back flipping to his feet and taking a defensive pose.

"Hostile, isn't he?" the werewolf asked one of the vampires.

"Maybe they're all like that where he comes from," the vampire said.

"HI!" GIR exclaimed, waving cheerily to the crowd.

"I guess not," the werewolf said as the vampire he was speaking to nodded.

"No, no, NO! This wasn't supposed to happen!" the boy exclaimed as he looked around. "You stupid minions! You were supposed to come to _my_ dimension, not get me stuck here! What is this place?"

"Maybe if you shut your mouth for one moment, you would learn," Doctor Finkelstein said as he rolled himself over to the boy.

"Do you have _any_ idea who you're talking to? I'm ZIM! Invader Zim, the greatest Irken soldier ever to serve the empire!"

"Empire?" the Mayor asked, his head turning on his neck to show his bewilderment. "Well, we only have our little town of Halloween here, Mr. Zim."

"Halloween?" Zim asked as his eyes widened. "_HALLOWEEN_? I hate Halloween! Especially... AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! You're all Halloweenies!"

"They certainly scream a lot where he comes from," the Cyclops said to Mr. Hyde.

"Must be a great place," Mr. Hyde said, his two smaller selves peeking out at the visitor from beneath his top hat.

"GIR! Get us out of here, now!" Zim ordered his dog, who immediately stood on two legs and saluted.

As it turned out, Zim's companion wasn't a dog at all. It was in fact, a small robot disguised as a dog. His antenna tip, eyes, and square chest piece glowed red as it carried its costume in one hand and used jets from its feet to fly under Zim. Then, the color changed to a light blue as he giggled out the window with Zim screaming on his back all the while.

"I don't like the looks of this, Doctor Finkelstein," the Mayor said to the scientist.

"Neither do I. Sally, go to the control panel of the portal and find Jack's coordinates. Sally?" Doctor Finkelstein asked before wheeling himself over to the control panel, where Sally already was.

"It's no use," she said as she pressed button after button.

"What do you mean 'no use'? He and those three tricksters just flew into whatever world that pair of oddballs came through."

"Doctor, it looks like that world cut off any connections we can make with it," Sally said before looking into the now empty portal.

"You're right," Doctor Finkelstein said. "Jack's going to have to find a way to reconnect the dimensions, wherever he is."

"Oh no," Sally said in a gloomy and fearful tone.

"Nothing to fret about, my dear. Jack is the Pumpkin King, he'll find his way home," the Mayor said to Sally, his head swiveling to reflect his hope.

"I hope so," Sally murmured to herself.

Meanwhile...

"Turn the machine back on!" Dib yelled at the guards, causing them to poke the boy with an electrified cattle prod. "HEY!"

"It's too dangerous. The conference has been canceled and the machine's being moved back to the labs."

"You can't do that. Zim and his robot fell in there. If they take over the world from that dimension, it's your fault. Do you want to doom the Earth because of a few technicalities?" Dib asked before being poked again. "Stop that!"

"If you keep ranting and raving like a maniac, I'm going to have to throw you in the back room with the guy that came out of that thing."

"Guy?" Dib asked.

"Yes. Don't you go looking for him, he's definitely trouble," the guard said before walking to another area to patrol.

Of course, this meant Dib had to go find the room where this inter-dimensional traveler was. After all, if he knew his world well enough, he could help the boy fight Zim, right? Well, that's what Dib hoped. He had to look around again after a while. He even looked into the chicken room he had stepped into twice before coming across a padlocked door with a small windowpane far above the doorknob.

"How am I going to get up there?" Dib wondered before he felt something grab his right arm and pull him through the door. When he blinked and looked up, he looked right into two large, hollow eye sockets staring right back at him. "AH!"

"Shhh. Quiet," the 'man' said, putting an index finger to his jaw.

"You're not human," Dib said in a harsh whisper.

"Yes I am. I'm just a dead human," the skeleton replied.

"Why are you talking if you're dead?"

"Everyone's dead where I come from. We all talk, and sing on occasion."

"How did you pull me through the door?" Dib asked as he turned to the door and felt that it was solid.

"I can do many things," the skeleton man said.

"Then why haven't you escaped by now?"

"I can't go home yet. I got separated from three others when I got here. Have you seen them?"

"You're the only skeleton I've seen."

"The others aren't skeletons. They're kids, like you. Only dead, and with smaller heads. No offense," he said to Dib, noticing the boy's insulted look.

"I haven't seen them. Who are you?" Dib asked.

"Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloween Town," he said with a graceful bow. "And you are?"

"Dib, Paranormal Investigator and Defender of the Earth."

"Well, Dib, it's not every day I meet a mortal who sees me and doesn't run away in terror. I could use your help, if you would be so kind as to give it to me."

"What's the catch?" Dib asked.

"No catch whatsoever. I just need you to find three children. Their names are Lock, Shock, and Barrel. I would find them myself, but I don't want to disturb your world's order by fleeing from the authorities," Jack said.

"I don't know what they look like."

"Hmmm... perhaps I should help you look for them then. But where shall I hide?"

"My house. My dad's hardly home and Gaz won't mind. She probably won't even notice you're in the house."

"Splendid," Jack said as both heard the padlock to the door being opened. "We'd better go. Hang on," he said as he grabbed Dib's hands and dragged him through another wall.

"Here he is, Prof-" a guard said to Dib's father as he opened the door before both looked at the empty room. "He's gone!"

"He wasn't that locked up, now was he?" Professor Membrane asked.

"No, sir."

"Send a report to the police, the FBI, anyone you can call. We have to fix this mess before things get out of hand," the professor said before his goggles lit up, meaning his assistant was contacting him through their built in telephone. "Yes, Simmons?"

"Professor, there's a problem with the device. Something was damaged during the incident," the assistant's voice said.

"How damaged?"

"We're not sure. That's why we need you to come over as quickly as you can."

"Alright, keep the team there, Simmons. I'm on my way," Professor Membrane said before the goggles returned to normal. "You, place the call. Make sure he is found."

"Yes, sir," the guard said as he and the professor parted ways.

To Be Continued...


	4. Getting to Know You

Author's Note: Now that the initial meetings have taken place, let's see what the worlds have in store for their visitors. Let me remind you that I did not create either The Nightmare Before Christmas or Invader ZIM. I just wanted to honor both movie and show in this writing. I hope I am, and if I am continue to do so.

"This place is weird," Barrel said to Lock and Shock as the three children walked farther and farther away from where they had landed.

"Tell me about it," Lock said as he pointed to the red sky.

"You_ had_ to stand so close," Shock complained to Lock as she smacked him over the head with her hat. "I should've let you go."

"Oogie's gonna beat us black and green for this," Barrel said.

"Yeah. Not only did we not get the machine to him, but we got sucked in thanks to Lock."

"You're welcome," Lock said to Shock.

"You moron, don't you even know when you're insulted? Did you and Barrel switch brains in there?" Shock asked, receiving a nod and then a scowl from Barrel.

"Think about it. How can Oogie Boogie do anything to us if we aren't home?" Lock asked, causing all three children to stop in their tracks.

"He's right," Barrel said to Shock. "We're free to do anything we want here."

"Exactly, Barrel," Lock said before turning to Shock. "As long as Jack doesn't drag us back home, we'll be fine."

"He's going to come after us, you know," Shock replied.

"So? We'll just escape. We've done it already," Lock said.

"Yeah, we've-" Barrel started before catching a glimpse of something not far in the distance. "Hey, check that out," he said, pointing.

"What?" Shock asked, looking in the direction of Barrel's finger.

"Over there, see that house?"

"That one with those tiny people on the grass?" Lock asked.

"Yeah. We can hide out there so Jack won't find us," Barrel said.

"Barrel, that house sticks out more than any of the other ones. Jack would probably look there first," Shock said.

"Well, all the other ones look like there's somebody home," Barrel said.

"He's got a point," Lock said as he noticed people beginning to stand at their doorways and stare at the three children.

"Fine, let's hurry," Shock said to the boys as the three ran towards the strange house with lawn gnomes and a large "I Love Earth" flag on the yard.

"Must be relatives of that diseased kid," a woman said to her husband.

"Whole family must be diseased," the husband said to his wife before both went to back to minding their own business.

Meanwhile...

"You emptied the jets AGAIN?" Zim yelled to GIR after he pried his head out from a pumpkin.

"I had to. The Jell-o didn't fit with the fuel," GIR explained as he sucked red gelatin out of his feet.

"We're stuck here, GIR! Stuck in this horrible place of Halloweenies because of your fondness for excrement humans call food!"

"It's cherry-flavored!" GIR exclaimed as he shot a large helping of cherry gelatin in Zim's face.

"GET IT OFF!" Zim yelled, already feeling the pain the gelatin's watery consistency gave him.

"You've gotta eat it, master. You're so silly."

"Off, off, OFF!" Zim screamed as he ran around in circles, crushing and tripping over pumpkins until running smack into something very large, rough to the touch, and a bit squishy.

"Hi, Mr. Halloweenie!" GIR said, waving to what, well, who Zim crashed into.

"Mr. Halloweenie?" he asked before throwing his head back and laughing. "HA! You're definitely not from around here."

"Dare you laugh at a... minion... of... Zim?" Zim asked, slowly feeling a bit frightened when he looked at the large burlap man he was supposed to be reprimanding.

"Zim? Your name's Zim?" he asked before laughing once again.

"Cease the laughter you squishy bag of... SQUISH!" Zim yelled, regaining his confidence.

"You are _definitely_ not from around here," the creature said as he loomed over Zim, casting his shadow over the Irken. "No one disrespects Oogie Boogie, don't forget that, kid."

"Kid?" Zim asked as he propped himself up to Oogie Boogie's level with large metallic rods from his PAK. "ZIM is no kid. And Oogie Boogie is a much worse name than ZIM!"

"No it isn't," GIR said.

"Quiet, GIR!" Zim yelled to his robot before turning back to Oogie Boogie. "Much worse. It's the worst name in the universe."

"Boy, take that back or I'll have you eaten alive by bugs," Oogie Boogie threatened before both heard a loud voice calling out.

"Search every pumpkin patch, mausoleum, crypt, and sewer!" the voice rang out. "Do not rest until our visitors are found!"

"The _Mayor's_ looking for you?" Oogie Boogie asked. "Well, guess I'll let him take care of you."

"WAIT! He'll bring the rest of _them_," Zim said, a horrified look coming across his face. "Listen, Noogie Woogie-"

"Oogie Boogie."

"Whatever, take me and my robot with you to aid the Irken Empire. Do it, soldier!"

"Alright, alright. But if you get too annoying, I'm eating the both of you."

"YAY!" GIR cheered before Zim grabbed him and followed Oogie Boogie.

Meanwhile...

"Is this the one?" Jack asked Dib as they snuck up to a house with electric posts guarding the lawn.

"Yeah, this is it," Dib said.

"Is your sister home? Think she'll be scared of me?" Jack asked Dib as he opened the door.

"You'll probably be scared of her," Dib replied. "Shhh, she's watching TV. Be quiet and you'll be fine."

"Don't worry, I can be perfectly quiet," Jack whispered right as he knocked over a small table a Membrane lamp was placed upon, which Dib fortunately caught.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to watch the replay of what happened," Gaz said to Dib before facing the television again.

"Sorry," Jack whispered to Dib as the boy propped the table back up.

"See, I told you Zim was up to something," he said to Gaz before noticing something. "Hey, Gaz, could you tell me what's next to me?"

"Nothing fits next to your enormous head, Dib," Gaz said. "Nothing ever did and nothing ever will. Now go away, they're showing footage of what came out of that thing."

"Whatever you say," Dib said as he dragged Jack into his room. "You can turn invisible?"

"Most people fear things they don't know or cannot see. Invisibility's part of my job."

"Wow. You're lucky I'm busy with Zim or else I'd take _you_ to the Swollen Eyeballs," Dib said as he sat down on his bed.

"Swollen eyeballs?" Jack asked as he leaned against the closed door of the room. "How long have they been swollen?"

"It's an organization for paranormal investigators like me. Zim's my project and mortal enemy."

"Mortal enemy?"

"He's trying to take over the Earth! The only reason he hasn't done it so far is because I've stopped him. That and he's kind of bad at it but that's not the point."

"It isn't?" Jack asked.

"No. The point is I'm out there every day trying to save the world and people call me crazy or beat me up, or both and call my head big," Dib complained.

"Well, it is a little oversized."

"See what I mean?"

"Ah, but I didn't call it big. I called it oversized. There's a difference," Jack said.

"I'd never thought I'd say this about anyone or anything, but you're really strange," Dib said. "What's your world like?"

"It's fantastic. Halloween three-hundred and sixty five days a year. Well, there's always one day added every four years but that's a different story."

"Halloween? Every day?" Dib asked, growing a bit pale.

"Oh come now, you can't tell me you dislike Halloween."

"I had a bad experience with it."

"It couldn't be too bad."

"I was sucked into my own brain by hideous creatures and then turned inside out from something shoved in my forehead."

"And you call me strange," Jack said after he had processed that information. "Well, if you don't like Halloween that much, I'll refrain from telling you about my world."

"No, you have to. If Zim made it there, he might try to take it over and then come after Earth. If you tell me all you can, maybe I can get you and those three kids you talked about before back to your home before anything really bad happens."

"In that case, pay close attention, Dib. This is going to be quite a long tale."

To Be Continued...


	5. Adaptation

Author's Note: I wonder what Jhonen Vasquez and Tim Burton would think of this. I don't own any of the stuff in the story, it all goes into either one world or the other. I think Jhonen and Tim are fab for coming up with these worlds and I, like many other people, appreciate it. Now, let's get along with our invading nightmare madness, shall well?

"Hello?" Lock asked as he opened the door to the strange house. "Hell-oooo?" he asked before closing the door again.

"See? Nobody home," Barrel said as he and Shock walked inside.

"Maybe we were better off outside," Shock said as she glanced at the large painting of a green monkey staring at her from the wall.

"With all the mortals?" Lock asked Shock, who glared at him in response.

"Admit it, this was a good idea," Barrel said to Shock before he turned to face a very round, small, hovering purple moose. "What the-" he started to ask before the moose's eyes squared and a rather large ray gun popped out from its back. "GUYS!"

"Only you could get us beaten up in another world, Barrel!" Shock said as she dragged both boys into the kitchen and away from a red laser blast the moose had just shot.

"Where can we go?" Lock asked before another laser blast blew off part of the kitchen wall.

"Quick! In the trash can!" Barrel exclaimed as the three ran to a metallic trash can next to the kitchen counter.

"It won't fit all of us," Lock said as Shock opened the lid.

"Don't be so sure about that," Shock said as she pointed to what appeared to be a long chute going down to places unknown from the trash can.

"It's either that or the moose," Barrel said as the moose began to charge another laser.

"Fine, the trash can," Lock said as he allowed Barrel and Shock ahead of him before he too went into the trash can chute and escaped the very odd moose.

"Minimoose!" exclaimed a robotic voice as a floating screen appeared behind the rampaging creature. "What are you doing? Zim just fixed that wall," the screen said through its side speakers, causing the small moose to squeak sadly and drop its weapon. "Hurry up and re-fix it before he comes back, or if the Tallest call."

The moose nodded, using its whole body for the effort before floating over to the broken kitchen wall. As it pondered on how to fix the wall, Lock, Shock, and Barrel had just landed in the most marvelous place they had ever seen in their afterlives. It was a gigantic metallic cavern of all sorts of buttons begging to be pushed and levers begging to be pulled. The trio were going to have quite a lot of fun here, and being underground meant Jack couldn't find them, at least, not right away.

Meanwhile...

"Any sign yet?" the Cyclops asked the Behemoth, who grunted in response. "Same here."

"It's useless, Mr. Mayor," the werewolf said to the tired politician, who wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "The green boy's gone. We've looked everywhere."

"Everywhere? Are you sure?" the Mayor asked his town.

"Well, there is one place," the sax player of the musicians said, immediately receiving all the attention.

"What place?" the Mayor asked.

"Oogie's place," he said, causing the whole town to gasp.

"I'm not going, certainly not," said the harlequin demon. "I already went through the sarcophagi and that was enough for me."

"It took us ages to search the whole pumpkin patch," the vampire brothers said, beginning a whole chain of who was not going to visit Oogie Boogie. It was a surprise anyone said yes at all.

"I'll go," Doctor Finkelstein sighed as he rolled up to the Mayor. "It's my machine that brought those visitors here in the first place. I'll take the responsibility. Sally, you come along with me."

"Yes, sir," she said as the pair headed towards the tree house in the distance that housed Oogie Boogie and his henchchildren.

Speaking of Oogie Boogie, he was having quite a time trying to handle Zim's robot. GIR seemed to enjoy hugging him, which bothered the boogie man very much. No matter how many times Oogie shook him off, GIR would come right back, hugging him tighter than ever.

"Will you get this stupid thing off of me!" Oogie yelled at Zim, who inspected the tree house's weapons.

"It's not stupid, it's advanced," Zim said as he picked up a bear trap. "Ooooh, looks painful."

"I LOVE YOOOOU!" GIR proclaimed to Oogie Boogie.

"Knock it off, you'll split a seam," Oogie Boogie said as he flung GIR against a wall and into a bathtub.

"That was fun!" GIR exclaimed from inside the tub, which shook itself like a recently bathed dog.

"Remind me again why I'm housing you and your excuse for a garbage can?" Oogie Boogie asked Zim.

"First of all, you were supposed to come to my world. As my minion, you are supposed to listen to me."

"Who said I was your minion?"

"I did," Zim said.

"What's your point?" Oogie Boogie asked.

"I'm Zim."

"I knew that already."

"That's my point! I am the greatest Irken Invader in the Universe and I'm stuck in a dimension where the planet I'm supposed to be conquering doesn't even exist! You were supposed to help me."

"No. _You_ were supposed to help _me_," Oogie Boogie said. "I sent those three to get the machine and hook it up here so I could get_ my_ minions to take over this world."

"You make no sense, Squish Bag. Who are the three you speak of?"

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Don't tell me you pulled them through the machine."

"Were they short?"

"A little taller than you, shrimp."

"Well, they're in a better place now. Good soldiers," Zim said before clearing his throat.

"WHAT?" Oogie Boogie exclaimed. "Better place? They were my servants! You do realize you're going to have to do their work now."

"Why should I?"

"If you don't, I'll eat you and your trash can."

"Robot."

"I'm swimming like the fishies." GIR said from the tub.

"Besides, they weren't the only ones I pulled through the machine," Zim said before a shriek came from the front of the tree house.

"Stay put, kid," Oogie Boogie said to Zim.

"I'm not a kid!" Zim screamed before Oogie opened the door.

"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite quack," Oogie Boogie said to Doctor Finkelstein. "And hello to you too, there," he said to Sally.

"I'm no quack and you know it," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"Calm down, Doctor," Sally said as she put her hand on his left shoulder.

"I am calm," he said before looking back to Oogie. "You haven't seen any out-of-towners around, have you, Oogie?"

"Can't say I have," Oogie Boogie said. "Why?"

"Haven't you heard? Your three troublemakers and Jack got sucked into another world. Two from the world they got stuck in are roaming around Halloween Town," Doctor Finkelstein explained.

"Oh really?" Oogie Boogie asked, barely hiding a look of pleasure from his face. "Well, I'll let you know if I see anybody suspicious."

"Good. Come along, Sally," Doctor Finkelstein said as he began to roll away.

"You know, you can come by any old time without the doctor," Oogie Boogie said to Sally.

"No offense, Mr. Boogie, but not on your afterlife," Sally said in a rather cold tone before following the mad scientist.

"She'll change her mind," Oogie said to himself as he closed the door and faced Zim once more. "Kid, I think you've just gotten on my good side."

Meanwhile...

Amazing, simply amazing. Never had Dib heard such wondrous things about another world, one so alive and dead at the same time. Jack explained all about Halloween in his land, along with many of the residents of Halloween Town. There was one he stayed on for quite a while, a certain Oogie Boogie.

"Every place has its own good and bad people, Dib. I'm sure you know that," Jack said.

"Yeah. I'm the good and Zim's the very inept bad. Still, I didn't think a place full of monsters would have one worse than all the other ones," Dib said.

"Just because we're all monsters in Halloween Town doesn't mean we're evil. We're just different, and Oogie Boogie isn't exactly bad, just misguided. _Very_ misguided."

"What does he do?"

"Most of the time he hides out under the ground of town."

"Psh, that sounds familiar."

"How so?"

"Zim hides out underground too. His 'house' is just a pathetic cover for all of his labs and sick experiment rooms."

"Oogie doesn't really do experiments, just a torture casino for those unfortunate enough to cross him."

"Have you ever fought with him?"

"Not too seriously. Oogie's not a real threat, just a loafer who talks big," Jack said, causing Dib to grow quiet for a moment.

Here Dib was, talking to a ruler from a distant land who seemed to have the same problem he did. Of course, only Dib could find that an eloquent dead man would have things in common with him. Such was his paranormal life. Dib would have vocalized his thoughts, had his bedroom door not opened.

"Are you talking to yourself?" Gaz asked, never taking her eyes off of the Gameslave device she was playing. "It's really throwing off my game."

"Sorry, Gaz," Dib said, watching Jack out of the corner of his eye.

"Psh, weirdo," Gaz mumbled as she walked away, leaving the door open.

"Sorry about her," Dib said to Jack as the boy went to close his door. "She has no respect for the supernatural."

"Oooh, what's this?" Jack asked as he held a camera to his face, only to have it flash. "Ah, bright light!"

"How is it that you can hold and bump into things and still go through walls and stuff?" Dib asked Jack as he took the camera.

"Sometimes I forget to turn intangible. I don't think I'll ever get used to it to be honest."

"Fascinating," Dib said as put the camera away, making a mental note to develop that picture himself, lest Jack's image appear in the wrong hands.

To Be Continued...


	6. Making Changes

Author's Note: Oh my, seems the two worlds are actually mixing and meshing successfully. I'm surprised, in a very good way. I thought I was insane for mixing up Tim Burton and Jhonen Vasquez works after others had done it already with results as mixed up as the previous stories. Now, I _know_ I'm insane, but at least it's a good insane, right?

Dib wasn't the only one who had Jack on his mind at the moment. Professor Membrane was busy at work fixing the Dimensional Traveler with his team. At moments he grew so frustrated he smacked himself in the forehead. Inter-dimensional travel? What was he thinking! _Was_ he thinking? Where was Simmons with his coffee?

"Simmons?" Professor Membrane asked as a goggled scientist holding a clipboard nearly walked past him.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, tapping a pencil to the papers on the clipboard.

"Did you get the coffee?"

"What coffee?" Simmons asked, nearly jumping back when Professor Membrane slammed his fist on a nearby table.

"How am I supposed to fix this thing without a decent amount of caffeine in my system?"

"But-"

"No buts, Simmons! Look at it, it looks perfectly fine but it's lying there, taunting me with a glitch so small not even my built in microscopes can spot them. I can't keep doing this without energy, none of us can," Professor Membrane ranted before someone tapped him on the shoulder. "What?"

"Medium regular, cream no sugar," said another lab assistant, calmly giving Professor Membrane his coffee before attending to another duty.

"I think you sent someone else to get it, sir," Simmons said with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry for jumping to conclusions, Simmons," Professor Membrane said as he swigged some coffee. "I only assumed, since you usually handle my affairs."

"You would have been right if it were any other day, sir," Simmons suggested. "By the way, I checked your messages at the main office. There has been no reported sightings of the inter-dimensional traveler."

"None yet," Professor Membrane said as both men heard something fall to the floor behind them.

"We found the problem, sir!" exclaimed a proud female scientist, wiping grease off of her gloves. "Something got stuck in the wiring during the inter-dimensional shifting."

"Can it be removed?" Professor Membrane asked as he and Simmons stepped closer to the open wiring panel.

"You tell us," she said as she moved aside from the panel, taking its covering off of the floor as she moved.

It seemed almost impossible, but there it was- a rubber piggy. At least, parts of a rubber piggy. It seemed to have fused with the wiring, causing all kinds of misreads and bad connections. As a natural deterrent to electricity, it made sense that the rubber in the piggy was hindering the effects of the wiring. It looked to be pretty stuck in there, so Professor Membrane had only one way to remedy the problem.

"We have to rewire the system. Take all of these wires out and dispose of them. Borrow some wiring from the Electronics Sector and let's get this done in exactly twenty-four hours," Professor Membrane said. "Well don't just stand there, move."

"But, professor, the original wiring took weeks."

"Simmons, we don't have weeks. Every moment we dawdle here, there's a dimension out there missing one of its elements. This could be more dangerous than the space-time continuum! We have to fix this mess before the wrong elements in the wrong places cause irreversible damage."

"How bad could something like that turn out?" Simmons asked.

"It could cause catastrophe, Simmons," Professor Membrane said before going to work on the piggy-infested wiring.

Meanwhile...

"Gimme the candy!" GIR ordered Oogie Boogie before whacking the boogie man with a baseball bat wrapped with barbed wire.

"For the last time- I'm not a piñata!" Oogie Boogie yelled at GIR, taking away the bat as he did so. "ZIM!"

"Yes, Squish Bag?" Zim asked, much more relaxed now that he had removed his contact lenses and toupee.

"Did you tell your trash can I had candy inside of me?"

"How else was I to inspect this area without distraction?" Zim asked, magenta-shaded eyes squinting to convey his distrust in Oogie's question.

"I only allowed you to change, which shouldn't have taken long, now that I look at you."

"I WANT IT!" GIR yelled, pointing to the bat.

"Fetch," Oogie said as he threw the baseball bat across the room, GIR immediately running after it seconds later.

"I should do what I want. Not only am I your guest, I'm your master," Zim said to Oogie Boogie in a pompous tone.

"Boy, don't test my patience. In a few minutes, you'll find yourself back on my bad side and you don't want to be there," Oogie threatened, bending over to Zim's level, close enough to make the Irken squirm.

"Fine, next time I'll let GIR loose on the grounds," Zim said shakily as he marched past Oogie Boogie. "Besides, you should be in a better mood once you see what I did to the place downstairs."

"Excuse me?" Oogie Boogie said.

"Throw it again, please," GIR said to Oogie Boogie, returning with the bat.

"What did you do to my casino?"

"I made it better."

"Boy, you can't just waltz in here and mess with _my_ casino!"

"For the last time, ZIM is no boy. I'm probably older than you."

"Pft, in your dreams, or nightmares. Whichever come first."

"I didn't sleep in my world, I'm definitely not sleeping here. That's why I made the modifications to your cas-i-no. If you're not going to help me take over the Earth, I might as well make progress here while the Dib can't stop me. That way, when I do get back to my dimension, I'll be ready."

"I wanna play fetch again!" GIR yelled before smacking his head with the baseball bat. He enjoyed the sensation so much he did it again, and again, and again. "Wheee hoo!"

"You know, since I'm keeping you safe here, I think I deserve a cut of that Earth you keep talking about," Oogie Boogie said.

"Forget it!"

"Ok, I'll just report you to the Mayor."

"Wait! Alright, but on one condition, Squish Bag," Zim said.

"Call me that again and I'll drag you to the Mayor before it leaves your lips."

"Fine. Oogie Boogie, I will give you a small province on Earth, but only if you can keep me safe from the Halloweenies for the rest of my days."

"Not a problem. You already got rid of the worst one anyway."

"I did?" Zim asked before holding his head up proudly. "Yes, of course. How could I not? I'm Zim."

"Good for you," Oogie Boogie said as he started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Zim asked Oogie.

"To make sure you didn't complete ruin my casino. Hey, what's your tra- I mean, robot's name?"

"GIR," Zim said before tilting his head in suspicion. "Why?"

"Hey, GIR, Zim has candy in his head if you can crack it open with that bat," Oogie Boogie said before disappearing into the shadows.

"CURSE YOU, OOGIE!" Zim yelled as GIR advanced on him with the barbed-wire baseball bat, "CURSE YOOOOOOU!"

Meanwhile...

"This is the best place I've ever been in my afterlife," Barrel said to Shock and Lock as they walked around the many corridors of Zim's underground lab.

"Shooting those chickens into space was fun," Lock said to Barrel.

"Yeah, too bad we ran out."

"Think we'll find any more of those radioactive weasels?"

"I hope so."

"I can't wait until we find the Weapon Room," Shock said to the boys, who nodded furiously.

"Yeah. Didn't one of the screens say it was around here?" Barrel asked Shock.

"Probably. There are a bunch of screens floating around. We could be lost here forever," Shock said.

"Sounds good to me," Lock said as a screen hovered towards them.

"Incoming Transmission from the Tallest," the screen said.

"Who are they?" Shock asked.

"The leaders of the Irken Empire. It's pretty important."

"What's an Irken?" Lock asked.

"Who cares, just answer it," Barrel said to Shock.

"Ok, we'll talk to them," she told the screen.

The screen's image changed from a smiling Irken head to that of two Irkens who seemed to tower above all of the other Irkens manning controls behind them. They would have passed as identical in shape, but that was about it. One wore a metallic red and black robe to match his red eyes while the other wore a metallic robe in purple shades, the darker of which matched his eyes. The purple-eyed one seemed to have dropped a doughnut in horror when his eyes met those of Lock, Shock, and Barrel. That horror was confirmed when he screamed.

"AH! Red, what are those ugly things?" he squealed, shielding his eyes with his two-fingered hands.

"Calm down, Purple. We probably got the wrong planet," said the red-eyed one. "Sorry to bother you, obey the Empire and the Almighty Tallest."

"No, you got the right place," Lock said.

"Really?" asked Red, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes. "Well, if this _is_ Earth, connect us with Zim."

"Who?" Barrel asked.

"Zim. The guy who owns the house you're in?" asked the one known as Purple.

"He's not here," Shock said.

"Where is he? Not that we particularly care, but we just want to know if he's in pain," Red said.

"He's probably in pain," Barrel said. "Especially if he met Oogie Boogie. He's the meanest guy around."

"Can you send us footage of this pain?" Purple asked, stuffing a doughnut into his mouth as he did so.

"Nope. We just got here," Lock said.

"Do you know how long Zim will be gone and in pain?" Red asked.

"If we have it our way, forever," Shock said.

"WHOO!" the Tallest exclaimed before they hi-fived.

"What do you want us to do with all his stuff?" Barrel asked.

"Well, Zim was supposed to take over the planet, not that he was ever going to succeed," Red said to Purple.

"Yeah, might as well let those three take it," Purple said to Red, who nodded and then faced the trick-or-treaters.

"Alright, soldiers. You may not be Irken, but you have full permission to use any and all weapons at your expense to take over the planet you're on. Welcome to serving the Irken Empire," Red said before saluting to the three and having his image fade on their screen.

"Better find those weapons," Lock said to Shock and Barrel, who nodded excitedly and led the way along another corridor to begin their new mission.

To Be Continued...


	7. Manipulation

Author's Note: I'm glad the story's been received well among fans of both The Nightmare Before Christmas and Invader ZIM. Totally makes my job worth doing. Before I continue doing so, I will clarify once more that I never had any part in creating movie or show. I never worked for Disney or Viacom and don't plan on doing so at the moment. The people worth worshiping are Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, Jhonen Vasquez, Kevin Manthei, Steve Ressel, and all of their crews at Touchstone/Disney and Nickelodeon/Viacom.

"Sally, step away from that infernal machine," Doctor Finkelstein said to the rag doll, who had placed herself in front of the Continuum Portal the moment the pair had gotten home hours before. "The last thing I need is having my assistant sucked into another world."

"I'm waiting to see if there's any sign from Jack and the trick-or-treaters," Sally said, not moving an inch from the control panel.

"Whatever world they're in is obviously having connection problems. It is nothing we can fix, my dear."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am. Now off to bed with you, the Mayor is most likely going to begin the search for that boy and his dog early in the morning. We can't search if we're tired, Sally."

"Yes, Doctor," Sally sighed, finally relenting and walking past the doctor to her room.

The moment Sally got to her room, she looked out her window. It was so very strange, seeing no lights in Jack's tower. He would be alright, wouldn't he? Sally shook her head and mentally scolded herself for thinking otherwise. In fact, she swore she would go to sleep that very moment and think of Jack no more until morning.

As for the doctor, he really wasn't sure if there was nothing he could do about the predicament. He just didn't want to give Sally any crazy ideas about running into that portal by herself. Honestly, that girl was already on the unstable side in this world. Doctor Finkelstein shuddered to think of what would happen to her anywhere else. Still she brought up a good point.

"Igor," Doctor Finkelstein said to his other assistant, a hunchback, as he wheeled himself into one of his laboratories.

"Yes, Master?" Igor asked in a hiss.

"Do you know where the plans for the portal are?" he asked Igor, who nodded furiously. "Good. Bring them to me. Perhaps there is something we can do about this dilemma after all."

Meanwhile...

Gaz woke up feeling a little thirsty. She looked at the clock on her night stand and saw that it was two in the morning. She mumbled angrily to herself as she got up. If she drank soda, she would be awake the rest of the night. She would have to settle for juice. Besides, Dib probably drank the last soda in the fridge, as always. Dib. Just hearing the name in her head made her cringe in disgust. How _she_ was related to _him_ escaped her.

"Stupid, crazy Dib. Talking to himself. I was so close to the last level," she mumbled to herself as she opened the fridge and squinted at the light coming from it as she got her juice. That's when she heard it.

A soft snore. It was coming from the living room couch. Gaz sipped juice through a straw very quietly as she walked over to who, or what, was making the noise. She thought in the back of her mind that maybe, _maybe_, it was their dad. Then she remembered that the whole fiasco with the dimension machine would have him working all night at the lab, not that it was unusual for him to do that any other day anyway. She looked at the scrunched up figure under the blue blanket and saw that its head, wherever it was tucked in, was too small to be Dib's. This could only mean one thing: intruder.

"No one comes into _my_ house without checking with me first," Gaz said quietly, calmly putting her juice on the floor and reaching under the couch for the baseball bat she kept there for emergencies. "Time for your wake up call," she said, finally grabbing the bat and swinging it into the form.

It didn't take long for the whole situation to make enough noise to wake Dib. He immediately ran into the living room and saw Gaz strangling the figure under the blanket with one hand and beating its shins with her bat using her other hand. That girl could get especially vicious sometimes.

"GAZ! Stop it!" Dib yelled as he tackled his sister off of the now kneeling figure.

"Dib, why don't you do something about a real threat for once?" Gaz asked as she pointed to the figure, who now revealed himself.

"I surrender," Jack said, raising his arms in defeat.

"Who are you?" Gaz demanded, holding the bat up to Jack's head as if she could send it flying at any moment.

"Gaz, it's ok. He's not going to hurt us."

"Dib, your head will be next if I don't get an explanation. Believe me, it's not that hard a target."

"You were right. She _is_ scary," Jack said to Dib.

"Gaz, he's a friend. His name's Jack Skellington. He's the one who came out of dad's machine when Zim went in," Dib said, expecting to calm his sister when instead she hit his head with the bat. "HEY!"

"You moron! Dad and the feds have been looking for this guy and you brought him home?"

"Don't you understand? The fate of the Earth depends on us," Dib said, nodding to Jack. "He didn't come alone, Jack can't go home until we find three other people."

"I'm sorry for intruding, miss," Jack said, wincing slightly when he sighted the baseball bat.

"He can't stay here. We can't do that to Dad. I'll call him right now."

"Gaz, wait! Please, just until we get him and the others home. Please? I'll do anything."

"Anything?" Gaz asked, now interested in what Dib had to say.

"Yes. Just keep this a secret and I'll have Jack out of the house soon. I promise," Dib said.

"Fine. But everything you do, Bone Face has to do too. Got it, Bone Face?"

"Got it," Jack replied.

"Pleasure doing business with you. Now leave me alone until I need you," Gaz said to the both of them as she picked up her juice and walked back to her room.

"Well, I'm glad she doesn't live in Halloween Town because I'd be out of a job if she did," Jack said to Dib.

"Any major damage?" Dib asked Jack, who got back on the couch.

"No. A perk of being dead is you don't have to worry too much about pain. My best friend can take off her limbs and have them walk around and such."

"Weird."

"You only say that because you're alive."

"Can you do any of that?"

"Of course. Here, I'll take off my head," Jack said as he readied his hands.

"No, it's ok. I was just wondering," Dib said, a bit frightened that his question was even answered.

"Suit yourself," Jack said as he looked in the direction of Gaz's room. "She won't come out and attack me again, will she?"

"No. Just as long as we do her bidding, we'll be fine."

"Splendid. How hard can it be?" Jack said.

"Goodnight, Jack," Dib sighed, shaking his head at the potential horrors to come.

"Goodnight, Dib. Thank you again for housing me," Jack said as he watched the boy disappear into the hallway.

As he lay back on the couch and looked at the ceiling, Jack didn't feel badly towards his state of affairs. In fact, he liked being somewhere different, even if it was very different than what he was used to. Though, he had to admit, he would leave this place as soon as he found the trick-or-treaters. Something told him this Zim character Dib kept talking about was bad news in any place, much less here or Halloween Town. Then there was the whole matter of the authorities looking for him. The last thing Jack needed was to get stuck in a strange land. He was the Pumpkin King for crying out loud. If he left his land along for too long, well, he didn't want to think about what could happen. Instead, Jack drifted off to sleep, bad thoughts disappearing and covered up by the blue blanket.

Meanwhile...

"I hate you, Oogie," Zim said as he walked into the remodeled casino, massaging his bruised temples.

"I didn't get any candy," GIR sniffled as he followed Zim.

"That's what you get for adding so much junk in here," Oogie Boogie said to Zim, clearly not impressed with the newly installed lab equipment and machines.

"You complain now, Oogie, but this 'junk' is standard Irken equipment more than capable of taking over a planet."

"Is that so? Then why haven't you taken over the Earth by now?"

"For reasons only my _amazing_ mind can comprehend, so it would be a waste to explain them to you."

"Sure," Oogie Boogie said in a sarcastic tone as he inspected his mechanical cowboys. "At least you didn't mess these up.

"What do they do?" GIR asked, waddling over to Oogie Boogie as he posed the question.

"Glad you asked," Oogie Boogie said as he tapped one of the cowboys on the shoulder, causing it to shoot at Zim, bullet flying just above his head.

"You HORRIBLE stink creature!" Zim yelled at Oogie, who immediately began laughing.

"You're too much, Zim."

"I'm probably better off with the Halloweenies!"

"If you're that sure, go on out. I'm sure they're dying to see you," Oogie said to Zim, causing beads of sweat to form on the Irken's forehead.

"GIR, go monitor something," Zim said to his robot, changing the subject.

"Yes, sir!" GIR exclaimed, features turning red in obedience as he marched over to a screen capturing feed from the middle of town.

"Wait a minute," Oogie Boogie said, following GIR. "You can see what's going on anywhere in Halloween Town?"

"Of course. No good Irken soldier can do their job without knowing the area they're in," Zim said. "I had cameras plant themselves all over the place."

"Check out the doctor's place."

"Why should I?"

"Just do it," Oogie Boogie said.

"I wanna see the Scary Monkey Show, Master," GIR said, growing bored with the feed of a green fountain.

"That horrible monkey doesn't exist in this world, GIR, and that's a good thing," Zim said.

"No. Scary. Monkey?" GIR asked, tearing up with each word. "I WANT MY MONKEEEEEEEEEY!" he screamed beating his head with his fists and rolling around on the floor, crying.

"Shut him up! Shut him up!" Oogie Boogie said to Zim.

"GIR, cease your monkey-caused whining now! GIR!" Zim ordered as the robot reached his highest wail yet before stopping for no apparent reason and giggling to himself.

"Quick, check the doctor's place before he starts up again."

"Alright, alright," Zim said as he changed the camera feed to Doctor Finkelstein, who seemed to be copying plans from older ones.

"What is that geezer up to?" Oogie Boogie wondered. "Probably figuring out a way to get that bone head back. We're gonna have to stop him, Zim."

"That feeble old thing? He's not worth my time," Zim said.

"He is if he brings Jack Skellington back from your world. If you think I'm bad, wait'll you meet him," Oogie Boogie said in a dark tone.

"Oooooooh," GIR said in awe.

"I'm letting you work to get that Earth you want. Jack will put a stop to everything, and probably scare you to death," Oogie Boogie said to Zim.

"HA! You're full of lies!" Zim exclaimed.

"Am I? Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you when you meet Jack face-to-face," Oogie Boogie said as he began to walk away.

"GIR, get over here," Zim said to his robot.

"Yeeeees?" GIR asked.

"Prepare for tomorrow. I don't want to take any chances, in case Oogie really is telling the truth. Not that I'm scared. Of course not. I'm ZIM, the best invader in the Universe. Yep, that's me."

"Okie dokie," GIR replied, sticking his tongue out.

Neither one of them saw Oogie Boogie grin in the dark.

To Be Continued...


	8. Trial and Error

Author's Note: So far, so good. Thank you all for supporting this mish mosh of cute darkness and dark cuteness. Oh, and to answer a question about how I write: I have absolutely nothing planned. Everything I write comes out the moment I think of it, which would explained the typos at times. Sorry about that. I'm sure if I actually did think things through, I could one day attain Tim Burton or Jhonen Vasquez status. Until then, I'm just paying homage to them.

All throughout the night, they worked. Rubber infested wires were removed and new ones took their place. Together, Membrane and his team painstakingly rewired the damaged piece of the Dimensional Traveler. It should have been work that took weeks. With a seemingly endless amount of coffee, it took the entire night well into morning. Finally, Professor Membrane looked at a digital clock on the lab wall and smiled under his collar.

"Excellent work. It is exactly ten thirty-seven in the morning and the panel has been fully rewired," he said to his team, who clapped very slowly.

"Can we sleep now?" asked one of the scientists.

"Sleep? Oh, I suppose," Professor Membrane said, watching the team disperse out of the room and down different hallways. Only Simmons was left.

"What should we do now, sir?" Simmons asked.

"Test it, of course," Professor Membrane replied.

"Shouldn't that be with the whole team? It will be a while until everyone is ready."

"Of course. I might as well go home. I haven't been home since... since... Simmons?"

"Hold on," Simmons said as he flipped through his notes. "Since March twenty-fifth. Nearly five months ago, sir."

"Five months? You mean it's August?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"It has been for about twelve days, sir."

"Well, that would explain the air conditioning. Remind me to find a way to keep track of time in a better fashion, Simmons," Professor Membrane said in an astounded tone as he walked out of the lab.

"Note to self: Program a calendar into professor's goggles," Simmons said to himself as he wrote that very note on his clipboard.

Meanwhile...

"I didn't know Bloaty's even _makes_ breakfast pizzas," Dib complained to Jack as the pair walked past an assortment of shops and restaurants, seeking Gaz's favorite eatery, Bloaty's Pizza Hog.

"If they didn't before, I can only guess your sister put them up to it," Jack said to Dib. "Is that it?"

"No. That's MacMeaties."

"It looks rather filthy."

"Everything here is. Here. This is Bloaty's Pizza Hog."

Jack could definitely come to this place if he was feeling homesick. The mechanical creatures that entertained customers and took their orders were positively terrifying. Then there was the matter of the hideously obese pig outside waving an "Eat with Me" sign out on the sidewalk to potential eaters. Too bad Jack was a hunted man. He could definitely have felt comfortable striking up a conversation with Bloaty or any of his "friends".

"Next," said a pimply teenage boy behind the counter.

"Order for Gaz. It's to go," Dib said to the cashier.

"Here. Extra large-meaty breakfast pizza. Ten bucks," the cashier said.

"Just a minute," Dib said as he reached into his coat pocket and realized he had no money. Gaz didn't give him money for the pizza! "Jack," Dib whispered. "Do you have any money?"

"Money? No. Even if I did, I doubt any currency I would have would be accepted in this world," Jack said.

"Kid, stop talking to your invisible friend and pay up," the cashier said.

"We're dead. Well, I'm dead. You'll just be deader," Dib whispered to Jack.

"Dib, be ready to run," Jack said.

"Why?"

"I'm turning visible in three, two-"

Did wasn't around to hear the one. He ran right out of the door when Jack started counting. Just as the cashier jumped over the counter, he was caught by what appeared to be a grinning skeleton. Before Jack could even say anything to the cashier, he started screaming and flailing around, bringing attention to the pair. When people turned to see the commotion, the cashier had been dropped on the ground, quivering in fear. Jack had turned invisible again and left Bloaty's with just enough time to catch up with Dib.

"Did we just steal a pizza?" Dib asked Jack.

"Well, we didn't mean to, if that makes you feel any better," Jack replied, feeling rather proud of himself.

"Gaz owes us for this, she really does."

"Now, now, no need to be too hard on your sister. Besides, that is the first real scare I've given since coming to this place."

"No. You scared a lot of people by coming out of the machine in the first place."

"Did I? Oh. I had no idea," Jack said, tapping his chin with his left index finger. "I was too worried about finding Lock, Shock, and Barrel, I suppose. I didn't even realize where I was until I was thrown in that room."

"How could no one else have seen them come out with you?" Dib asked.

"Well, those three are much better at being sneaky than I am at times. They must have slipped away when everyone else took me into custody. Do you know any place they could have gone?"

"No. I really don't hang out with people my own age. Or anyone else for that matter," Dib said before stopping in his tracks.

"Dib? What's the matter?" Jack asked.

"Dad's home," Dib said, pointing to a figure in a white lab coat entering the house.

"No problem, I'll just stay invisible, and intangible if I remember."

"I'm not worried about you. It's Gaz."

"She can't do anything, we have her pizza. Right?"

"Quick, follow me and sorry if I don't talk to you too much. Dad kind of thinks I'm already on the crazy side," Dib said as he walked briskly to his house, Jack following, albeit a bit confounded.

"About time, Dib," Gaz said as she snatched the pizza box from her brother's hands. "It better be warm," she said menacingly before walking to the kitchen with the box.

"Son? Come in here for a moment," Professor Membrane's voice called out.

"Coming, Dad," Dib said as he motioned for Jack to sit on the couch. "Yes?" Dib asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I thought you would be delighted to hear about the progress we've made on the Dimensional Traveler," the professor said as he began to heat up a pot of coffee. "We'll get your little green friend back in this world very soon."

"Great," Dib said in a tone mixed with sarcasm and relief.

"Of course, we need to find that escaped dimension crosser first. We haven't received any word of him yet at the labs."

"You'll find him, Dad," Gaz said slyly before taking a bite out of a breakfast pizza slice, ignoring the glare Dib gave her.

"Son? You looked troubled. The kind of troubled that comes from raising the living dead," Professor Membrane said suspiciously.

"No. No, no. No more living dead for me. I learned my lesson," Dib said as he chuckled nervously.

"Psh. Yeah, right." Gaz said to Dib before walking into the living room.

"Anyhow, no more running errands outside of the house until that crosser is returned. Though, it is good to see you and your sister getting along so well," Professor Membrane said as he poured himself some coffee, which had just finished boiling.

"Heh heh, yeah," Dib said, watching Gaz out of the corner of his eye.

"Indeed. I haven't seen you this close since-" Professor Membrane started before his goggles lit up. "Yes, Simmons?"

"Sir, there seems to be a problem here that needs your attention right away," Simmons said.

"Did the traveler break again?"

"We wish. We've been looking over the security tapes from the conference, and it appears that there was more than one crosser."

"I'll be right there," Professor Membrane said, causing Simmons to hang up and his goggles to return to normal. "Son, _definitely_ no more errands outside the house for your or your sister. Not even to buy food for the puppy."

"Dad, we don't have a puppy anymore," Dib said.

"Oh, right. Well, I'll let you know when it's safe. Bye, Son. Bye, Daughter," the professor said as he left the house, coffee mug in hand.

"You can show yourself now, Jack," Dib said, watching as the skeleton appeared, sitting next to Gaz on the couch.

"No outside errands, huh?" Gaz asked Dib.

"I guess not."

"Too bad, because I need to place a pre-order for _Bleeding Swine Slayer_ at the video game store in the mall."

"Well, you heard your father," Jack said.

"In that case, I can end his search right now so we can both go out, Dib," Gaz said, staring right at Jack as she did so.

"Do we have to do it now?" Dib asked Gaz.

"If I run fast enough, I can catch up with Dad," Gaz said.

"Even if you do, I can turn myself invisible and escape," Jack said to Gaz.

"You don't want to get on my bad side, Bone Face. Do you really think that with a brother who specializes in paranormal stuff I wouldn't have at least learned how to trap a ghost?" Gaz asked Jack, who gulped. "You don't want to know what I can do."

"Dib, I have a sudden urge to go to the mall," Jack said as he jumped to his feet.

"Ok, ok. Let's go, Jack," Dib sighed.

Meanwhile...

Oh, it was beautiful. So beautiful it made the trio's eyes swell with tears they refused to let fall. The Weapon Room. Zim seemed to have an entire secret stash of doom making machinery within those four walls. Alright, some of the stuff looked broken. Some. But whatever wasn't broken looked to be good enough to destroy quite a few acres of land and the people that inhabited it.

"Check this out!" Barrel said as he pulled the trigger of a ray gun, which shot a green liquid that melted a cardboard box.

"I call that after you," Lock said.

"I'm not even tired anymore, even after looking all night," Shock said to the boys, who nodded in agreement.

"What should we take?" Lock asked.

"Can't we take everything?" Barrel asked.

"No. We'd never be able to take everything," Shock said before she came across what appeared to be a long, mechanical leg.

"I wonder what it's connected to," Barrel said.

"Let's clear all the boxes on top of it to find out," Shock said.

Despite a few mis-triggers of guns in the boxes, the moving went just fine. Underneath all of them was a very large machine. It had three more legs, and a cockpit with all kinds of command possibilities. Alas, it only had one driver's seat, so it took a while for the trick-or-treaters to decide who would drive it. When the decision was made, the privilege went to Shock. After all, she found the machine in the first place.

"How do we make it stand up?" she asked. "All the directions look weird."

"I can't read this," Lock said.

"Me neither," Barrel added.

"Great, we're in a machine we can't use because of some stupid words," Shock said.

"Might as well touch everything to see if that'll start it," Lock said as he pulled a lever, causing a cannon in front of the machine to blast a hole in the wall.

"That wasn't it," Shock said.

"How about this?" Barrel asked as he pushed a purple button, causing the machine to get up off of the floor.

"That was better," Shock said. "Maybe if you keep pressing it, it'll walk."

"Ok," Barrel said, pressing the button and making the machine fall on the floor again.

"Never mind," Shock said, watching Barrel press the button a third time and having the machine stand up again.

"Hey, try those stick things," Lock said to Shock, pointing to joysticks in the center of a large panel.

"Might as well," she said, grabbing the joysticks and smiling as the machine took its first steps. "Finally. I wonder what the red buttons on the tops of these sticks do," Shock said before pressing them.

One must admit, seeing a four-legged machine fly out of a house is abnormal. Then again, many abnormal things happened in this house. By now, the neighbors just ignored the strangeness and went about their daily chores. No, not even a baffled looking tiny purple moose could grab their attention. As far as they were concerned, it was the business of the green-skinned boy, no one else's.

To Be Continued...


	9. The Fifth Traveler

Author's Note: Whew, 'bout time I updated this odd little story. Come to think of it, it's not so little anymore. Well, I guess when one is working with creations by Tim Burton and Jhonen Vasquez, things can get a little out of hand. Ok, very out of hand. How much so? You'll just have to read on to find out.

If Zim could see what was happening to one of his machines at the moment, his squeedily spooch would explode in outrage. Lucky for Zim, he and GIR were currently sneaking around the streets of Halloween Town, blissfully unaware of the madness in their world. Right now, they had a certain doctor to take care of. As they waited outside the lab, the pair could see a light flickering through the windows.

"I wanna say hi to the baldy duck man!" GIR said to Zim, impatience clearly getting the better of him.

"In a minute, GIR. And be quiet! I am _not _going to be taken by Halloweenies because of your desire to associate with them," Zim said.

"Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase?" GIR asked, head nearly spinning in the whine.

"GIR, stealth mode!" Zim exclaimed, proudly watching the robot salute and jump into a shadowy corner. "Finally," the Irken said to himself as he resumed spying.

No more than ten minutes later, Zim saw movement. The door to the lab opened, and out walked a hunchback on a leash. Behind him was a woman who appeared to be stitched together. She was the one holding the other end of the leash. Zim cringed in disgust. Apparently, some of the humans here were no better than animals. Then again, Zim was disgusted by anything remotely human to begin with. Still, the soldier brought his mind back to focus. The doctor wasn't with them. Good.

"GIR, follow me. GIR?" Zim asked, turning around to find that GIR was gone. "That robot! Fine, I'll kidnap him myself," the Irken huffed as he marched to the laboratory, loudly closing the door when he got inside.

"Sally? Back so soon?" the doctor's voice asked, causing Zim to panic.

"Where are they? Where?" he asked as he began digging in his PAK before finding just what he needed.

"Sally? Send Igor up here, I still need to make some minor-" Doctor Finkelstein said before finally rolling into Zim's line of vision. "What the- you!"

"Tremble in fear, elderly stinkbeast! Tremble!" Zim said as he cackled and threw metallic cords around the doctor, connecting them to his PAK.

"What is the _meaning_ of this?" Doctor Finkelstein asked, struggling against the cords. "Unhand me!"

"SILENCE! You are in Zim's control now."

"No I'm not. I can think quite clearly. For example, I see you are an ill mannered brat who needs to be sent back home."

"You'll regret saying that," Zim said as he allowed his mechanical rods to lift him off of the ground and propel him out of the skylight of the lab, carrying Doctor Finkelstein along with him.

Meanwhile...

"Alright, Igor. You can frolic in the pumpkin patch, but not for too long," Sally said as she untied the leash from Igor's collar and watched the lab assistant jump right into a collection of jack o'lanterns. Well, he thought they were jack o'lanterns.

"Sally, that hurt," Igor said as he pointed to a metallic creature, definitely not a jack o'lantern.

"I'm gonna jump on you!" it exclaimed, causing Igor to crouch behind Sally in fear.

"It's not going to hurt you, Igor," she said. "I don't think so anyway."

"HI!" GIR chirped, waving as he did so.

"Hello there," Sally said, feeling a little uneasy about the way this creature she was talking to stared at her, almost drooling. Then it pounced, hugging her legs so tightly she felt they were going to come undone. "AH!"

"You're crunchy."

"Please let go," Sally said as she toppled over to the ground.

"I love you, crunchy lady," GIR said.

"That's sweet, really, but I need my legs."

"Awwwwwww," GIR said, sadly letting Sally go and then taking interest in Igor, who had started sniffing at his head.

"You're one of the people who came, aren't you?" Sally asked GIR.

"I dunno," GIR said, opening the top of his head and taking out a popsicle to snack on.

"You have to be. I've never seen you around here before."

"Maaaaybeeee."

"Listen, did you see a very tall skeleton go your way when you came here, or three little children?"

"OOOOH! Did they have big heads?"

"Big heads? No... why would they have big heads?" Sally asked, glancing over to Igor, who gave her the same bewildered look.

"Dib has a big head. It smells like a puppy too," GIR explained before giggling to himself and powering up his jets. "BYE!"

"Wait, don't go!" Sally yelled.

It was too late, GIR had already flown off into the distance, into Oogie Boogie's territory. Sally definitely didn't want to go there. She wished the poor thing well before taking Igor back to the lab. There, the pair made quite an upsetting discovery. Doctor Finkelstein was gone. His chair was beneath the skylight but neither his body or his brains were in the laboratory. That meant one thing- he was kidnapped.

"Igor, this is bad. Doctor Finkelstein is the only one who could have brought Jack and Boogie's Boys back. Oogie probably has him, and if I go there alone I don't know what he'll do to me," Sally said, shivering at the thought. "Oh, what to do?"

"Plans," Igor said, lightening up.

"What do you mean, Igor?" Sally asked.

"Master used plans to make something new."

"Show it to me."

"Follow me."

Igor led Sally to the Continuum Portal. In front was a metallic table on which an arm piece was lying. When worn, it would take up the entire forearm. Sally inspected it closely. Its wiring was exposed on the left side, the doctor was probably planning to fix that before he was taken. Still, when she pressed a large orange button in the right side, a small screen next to it lit up.

"What goes there?" Sally asked.

"Coordinates," Igor said before smiling at a box of dog treats left underneath the table.

"What coordinates? Where are they?" Sally asked Igor, who threw no less than four dog biscuits into his mouth.

"Look there," he mumbled, pointing to the portal.

"Coordinates, coordinates..." Sally said to herself as she looked at the portal's control panel. "Here's ours and this should be the last world we made contact with. Let's see," Sally said before punching in the numbers in the arm piece. "Zero, Three, Three, One, Two, Zero, Zero, One. There," she finished, putting the arm piece on her right forearm only to watch it slide a bit. "Oh, it's too big."

"Here," Igor said, tearing off some material from the bottom of his lab coat, dirtying it a bit with dog biscuit crumbs.

"That'll have to do," Sally replied, tying the piece tighter on her forearm and then turning on the portal. "Igor, make sure this doesn't turn off until we all come back."

"Come back soon," Igor said, waving as Sally hesitated and then stepped into the portal.

Meanwhile...

"BALDY DUCK MAN!" GIR exclaimed upon entering Oogie Boogie's lair and seeing Zim proudly standing next to his hostage.

"GIR, there you are. About time you got here," Zim said.

"Untie me!" Doctor Finkelstein yelled as a shadow loomed over him.

"Sorry, doc, you're on my turf now. Gotta play by my rules," Oogie Boogie said.

"You idiots! What do you think you're achieving by kidnapping me?"

"Hey, Zim is no idiot. Zim is magnificent," Zim said, getting a short round of applause from GIR.

"Keeping you from bringing Jack back, that's what," Oogie said.

"_When_ Jack returns, which he will, he is going to tear you apart."

"I doubt it, geezer. Zim's got whatever you were working on, so Jack's stuck for good."

"Huh?" Zim asked.

"Something wrong, Zim?" Oogie asked.

"I only brought the decrepit excuse for a human. I didn't see anything he was working on."

"Decrepit! You have some nerve; untie me and let's see how clever you really are," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"Another word out of you and I'll empty your head and make it a swimming pool for the trash can," Oogie said to the doctor.

"YAY! I'll get my rubber piggy!" GIR exclaimed.

"You wouldn't dare," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"Those were three words, doc," Oogie Boogie said with a twisted smile on his face.

Normal people would have found what happened next quite disturbing. Oogie Boogie flipped open Doctor Finkelstein's head and swiftly removed his brain. He passed the brain to Zim, who nearly dropped it in shock. Zim had to keep himself from retching as Oogie filled Doctor Finkelstein's head with water, courtesy of a nearby bucket. The doctor put up no fight, for he was brainless. Instead, he stared into space and drooled. By the time Oogie was done, GIR had dug out a spare rubber piggy from his head and hopped right into the hostage's head.

"SPLISHY SPLASH!" GIR exclaimed in pure glee.

"Take this and give me the bucket," Zim said to Oogie, throwing the boogie man the brain and then retching in the bucket.

"How could you leave without the thing he was making? Moron," Oogie said.

"Well, we have his brain. We can copy his thoughts from it, can't we?" Zim asked once he was finished "using" the bucket.

"You know, that's actually a good idea. Scary."

"How is it scary? That was... that was my plan all along! Yep. I'm that brilliant," Zim said, tipping the bucket and spilling vomit all over himself. "My uniform!"

"Ha! Do us both a favor and clean yourself up before figuring out what to do with this geezer brain," Oogie Boogie said.

"GIR, enough recreation in the hostage's cranium. Fetch me some cleansing chalk and a rag."

"SHHH. Pig and me are playing Pirates. ARGH! Walk the plank, matey!" GIR said, throwing the rubber piggy at Zim and hitting him between the eyes.

"I'll get it myself, GIR," Zim said, clearly irritated as he walked to a secluded area of the lair to freshen up.

Meanwhile...

"Alright, Simmons, run that segment for me again," Professor Membrane said to his assistant as both men stood in front of many television screens broadcasting surveillance tapes of the conference.

"Notice this area of the machine after Crosser One makes his appearance," Simmons said as he paused the video, displaying what appeared to be a very confused skeleton man sitting on the floor in front of the Dimensional Traveler.

"I don't see anything," Professor Membrane said.

"Hold on, I'll close in on it," Simmons said as he isolated that one dark spot. "Now what do you see?"

"A shadow. No, wait... three shadows," Professor Membrane said.

"Three? Are you sure, sir?"

"Positive. Look at the areas of light where they separate. They appear to be shadows of three small children. He definitely wasn't alone."

"What are we going to do, sir?"

"Track them down as well. Perhaps it is better to keep the Dimensional Traveler under lock and key until this mess is fixed. Simmons, schedule the test-" Professor Membrane started before the door to the surveillance room slammed wide open.

"Professor! You're needed immediately," said the lab assistant who had opened the door.

"Is it the machine?"

"No, sir. It's who just came out of it that's the problem."

"That's impossible, it was turned off!"

"Tell her that," the assistant said as he motioned behind him.

Professor Membrane and Simmons peeked out into the hallway and gasped at what they saw. Two guards held a woman in between them. She looked both frightened and frightening. She seemed to be made of dead body parts sewn together, a Frankenstein creature in female form. Whatever world these people were coming from was definitely not good, and this was the fifth person to arrive. Not only that, but she arrived without their machine being turned on! Professor Membrane did what any dignified yet overworked scientist would have done in this situation- he fainted.

"You got him at a bad time," Simmons said to the assistant.

"What do we do with her?" he asked Simmons.

"Make sure she doesn't escape," Simmons ordered the three.

"Yes, sir," the three replied as they took the newest traveler to a, hopefully, secure area.

"Well, better get the smelling salts," Simmons said to himself as he dragged Professor Membrane into the room and then left to find them.

To Be Continued...


	10. Great Escapes

Author's Note: Heh heh, oh my. I don't know how I'm going to top that last chapter. Well, might as well try. Besides, I'm just paying homage to two very good works- The Nightmare Before Christmas and Invader ZIM. Once again, if you are not familiar with one of these works, do yourself a favor and watch it. You'll be glad you did.

The mall was crammed with video game addicts looking to pre-order _Bleeding Swine Slayer_. The amount of people was almost disgusting. Still, a deal was a deal. Dib and Jack stood on the line behind a rather twitchy and pudgy boy and waited for it to move forward. Dib sighed and hoped that maybe with this task, Gaz would lighten up on him and Jack. Maybe.

"I can't believe this," Dib said.

"Me either. This place is huge," Jack replied, looking all over the mall. "Look at all the stores. Halloween Town could fit in here easily."

"At least you're having fun," Dib said.

"Sure am. I've been waiting for the American version for six months!" exclaimed the twitchy boy in front of them.

"Sorry. I wasn't talking to you," Dib said.

"My name's Iggins," the boy said, ignoring Dib's comment. "I've had the Japanese import for ages, but only the American version has the level with the Zombie Swine from Outer Space. I can't wait to get my hands on them!"

"Zombie swine from outer space?" Jack asked, eye sockets widening in awe. "Wow. They must be terrifying."

"They don't exist, it's only a game," Dib said to Jack. "Well, at least, I haven't come across any real ones yet."

"What kind of a gamer _are_ you?" Iggins asked Dib with a condescending tone. "A newbie? I bet you haven't even played _Vampire Piggy Hunter_ through its secret endings."

Dib sighed in exasperation. Between Jack's ignorance and Iggins' ultra-geekdom, he was getting a killer headache. All he wanted was to place the pre-order and go home without getting caught by his father. At the moment, Dib also wanted for that Iggins boy to leave him alone. Well, one of his wishes came true when a large, four-legged machine crashed through the glass ceiling of the mall and landed in the fountain. Everyone began to panic and evacuate the mall, Iggins included. It looked like neither he nor Gaz would be getting their pre-order today.

"What's that thing?" Jack asked Dib as they made their way through hordes of fleeing people.

"I don't know, but it looks Irken," Dib said.

"Irken?"

"It looks like it belongs to Zim."

"But Zim's not here," Jack said, making Dib stop in his tracks.

"You're right," Dib said. "That must mean someone else is in there."

"Perhaps three others," Jack said, getting a dark look on his face before running from Dib.

"Wait for me," Dib said.

"No. I have to make sure of something. Stay here until it's safe," Jack replied before finally pausing in front of the machine, which shook itself like a wet dog.

Meanwhile…

"No way!" Lock, Shock, and Barrel exclaimed simultaneously as they ducked for a moment.

"It's Jack," Barrel whispered in a nervous tone. "We're busted."

"No we're not," Lock said. "He doesn't know we're in here yet."

"He will eventually," Shock pointed out.

"Maybe not. Say we 'accidentally' blow him to bits. Then we don't have to worry about going home and we can take over the planet like those two tall guys told us to do."

"Ooh, that's bad, Lock. I like it."

"I thought you would, Barrel."

"Which button will do that?" Shock asked, peeking over to the panel.

"We'll just have to find that out, now won't we?" Lock asked.

"Yes, we will," Shock and Barrel replied, cackling as they got up once more.

"Show yourself!" Jack called out from beneath them.

"Quick, pull the lever that shot the cannons before, Lock. I'll aim," Shock said.

"Got it," Lock said as he ran over to the lever and pulled.

Lucky for Jack, he was already dead. He was even better off turning intangible. If he were a mortal, the cannon blast that came from the machine would have most certainly killed him. Now this was serious. No one tried to harm the Pumpkin King and got away with it. It just wasn't done. Jack was going to teach whoever was in that machine a lesson, and Dib had a front seat to the ensuing show.

Jack saw a mall banner twirling around a column all the way to the rafters. He quickly dodged more blasts and grabbed onto it, climbing faster and faster to the top. When he reached the rafters, he jumped to the very top of the machine. The cockpit was too cloudy for him to make out who was inside it. He would have to break it. Just as he began to claw and punch at the glass, a hidden cannon was activated, and aimed straight at the Pumpkin King. It fired too quickly for him to turn intangible and it sent him flying into a wall. Well, most of him.

"Catch me!" Jack's head yelled as it fell right into Dib's hands. "Whew, thank you. What?" Jack's head asked, noticing the slightly nauseous look Dib was giving him. "I told you it could come off."

"Where's the rest of you?" Dib asked.

"Good question. I suggest moving if you want to hear the answer, though."

"Right."

Dib took Jack's head to the safety of the Krazy Taco in the food court. They waited a while, until the sounds of laser blasts slowed, and then halted. The machine seemed to have run out of ammo. This was the perfect chance to strike back, or at the very least, find Jack's body. Stowing Jack's head underneath his jacket, Dib set out to survey the damage. The machine was gone; whoever was running it seemed to have grown bored without any ammunition. As for the body, well, it seemed Iggins hadn't left the mall before.

"Get it off!" the boy yelled under the weight of a headless, black-suited body. "I only wanted to pre-order!" he cried out. "PRE-ORDER!"

"It's tangible!" Dib exclaimed to the head, letting it peek out from his jacket.

"Sorry. I can't control what my body does when we're separated. My fault," Jack's head apologized. "But he's completely terrified. See, it's not so bad."

"I'll distract him, you fix yourself," Dib said to the head before running over to Iggins and pushing the body over.

"Ow! Hey, easy with that," Jack's head said as Dib put it on the floor.

"Is the video game store still open?" Iggins asked Dib.

"You could have been killed by an extraterrestrial mech," Dib said to Iggins.

"But I wasn't, so I want to make that pre-order now. Don't you?"

"Not really. It's for my sister."

"Figured. You don't look like much of a gamer anyway."

Dib would have said something else to his defense, if Iggins hadn't picked himself up and waddled away. Honestly, Dib wondered why he even bothered trying to save this planet sometimes. From the looks of things, Dib would make the pre-order after all. In mere seconds, Iggins entered the store and practically danced out on the way to the closest exit. By the time Dib was ready to follow suit, Jack had put himself back together.

"I almost had it back there. If only I could get this tangible/intangible thing better," Jack sighed when Dib made walked out of the store. "Hey, don't we have to pay for that?"

"No. I just have to hold on to this slip and give it to Gaz," Dib replied, showing Jack a white piece of paper. "Then, if she doesn't make us do anything else, we're going to Zim's Base."

"Why there?"

"That machine was definitely Irken. Unless Tak's returned, it came from Zim's place."

"Tak?"

"Long story. She's an Irken, like Zim, only much more capable of taking over the planet."

"Then she's someone you'd definitely worry about."

"I would, if she were here. Zim and I drove her away though. Not that we're friends or anything, we just had to keep the Earth from falling into her hands."

"Your world is very complicated, Dib," Jack said as the pair walked out of the mall. "No wonder your head's so big! You need a large brain to comprehend everything. Makes perfect sense now."

"It's not _that_ big," Dib said before feeling the back of his head with his left hand. "Is it?"

"At least it's permanently attached," Jack said in a comforting tone.

"Of course it is, I'm-" Dib said before noticing Jack had paused in front of an electronics store where columns of televisions were broadcasting something.

"Dib, what's Mysterious Mysteries and why do they have my face next to their name?" Jack asked, causing the boy to make a complete turnaround and join him in front of the store.

"Inter-dimensional terror or hideously mutated reporter? No one knows for sure, not even the scientists who captured and lost him," said the anchor, reporting from an artist's rendering of a very spooky Jack. "We asked a victim who was up close and personal with the skeleton man just how bad he really was."

"He was horrible!" exclaimed the Bloaty's employer from earlier that morning. "He and that huge-headed accomplice of his stole a pizza. He would've killed me if there weren't any witnesses."

"That's a lie! I'm not a killer, I just scare the living daylights out of people," Jack said, completely missing the point.

"No! Mysterious Mysteries is on to us? This is bad! Jack, we have to get home fast and try to convince Gaz to let us off the hook," Dib said as the anchor reappeared.

"We'll continue this special edition of Mysterious Mysteries after a word from our sponsors. Stay tuned to see the newest terror from beyond the scientific gate, the one the labs are trying to hide from the public," the anchor said as another artist's rendering appeared for a split-second and then gave way to an Acne Blast commercial.

"We have to go to the labs," Jack said to Dib.

"No, we can't. You have to stay home and invisible," Dib said.

"They have Sally."

"What?"

"That rendering they just showed, it was of Sally."

"How can you be sure?"

"I just am. I can go there alone if you need to get back to your sister soon, but you can at least point me in the direction of the labs," Jack said to Dib.

Dib hesitated and then pointed towards a large collection of buildings a good distance away. He then reminded Jack of where his house was before running off. Gaz must have surely grown tired of waiting for her pre-order slip and Dib knew better than to tempt her wrath for any longer. As for Jack, he had a friend to rescue.

Meanwhile…

How did she keep getting into these messes? Sally shook her head and sighed. Nothing was ever simple when it came to Jack. Trouble just seemed to follow him wherever he went. Whether it was routine scaring or something completely off-the-wall, Sally would find that she was willing and able to bail Jack out. And did he notice? Of course not. He never noticed, and probably never would. So why did Sally hang around and keep helping him? Because she couldn't bear not being able see that grin of his or hear his voice at least one more time. Poor, smitten rag doll.

"How am I going to get out of here?" Sally asked, looking out the small pane of glass on the door to her white cell. No chance of opening it without any of the guards noticing. And she was scared to turn intangible, escape, and then get lost in this strange new world. "If only I knew this place better, then I could at least figure out which places are safe or not."

"I can show you," said a voice from behind her.

"It couldn't be," Sally said as she turned around. "Ja-!" she started before he clasped his right hand over her mouth.

"Shhh," Jack whispered. "Wouldn't want them outside to hear, would you?"

"No," Sally replied quietly, lowering Jack's hand and holding on to it for a moment.

"How did you get here?" Jack asked.

"With this," Sally said, raising her right forearm, displaying the arm piece. "The doctor made it in case the portal in this world was still closed. It was, so I used it to come over."

"Amazing."

"Jack, where are the trick-or-treaters?"

"Good question. I haven't seen them since we fell through."

"Jack, we have to find them. Oogie Boogie's up to something," Sally said, crossing her arms.

"Sally, he's always up to something. Has he been hitting on you again? Just say the word and I'll-" Jack began before Sally interrupted him.

"Oh, he got the picture after last time, Jack, believe me. No, it's worse than that. The doctor's been kidnapped and those two people that came from this world seem to be hanging around with Oogie."

"That's not good. Listen, after I break you out of here and get you to safety, we can talk this over with Dib."

"Who's Dib?"

"You'll see. Now hold on, and stay intangible and invisible. We've got a long walk," Jack said to Sally while grabbing both of her hands and walking with her through the cell wall and out into the streets.

"She's right here, Mr. Simmons. No chance of escaping whatso-" a guard started as he opened the cell door only to find it was empty. "Dammit! Not again!"

"What?" Simmons asked as he looked into the room. "She's gone?"

"I don't know how this keeps happening!"

"Well, you're lucky the professor's still unconscious. Even smelling salts can't awaken him."

"What are we going to do?"

"Isn't it obvious. Find her, and the other four while you're at it."

"I'll go talk to security about that," the guard said as he ran down the corridor.

"Watchmen," Simmons sighed before going back to look over Professor Membrane, who was still knocked out in the surveillance room.

Meanwhile…

"That was close," Lock said to Shock as all three trick-or-treaters stumbled out of the Weapon Room after returning the machine.

"Too close," Shock replied before turning to Barrel. "Good thing you fell on that red button or we would've been double dead."

"Yeah. Too bad we ran out of ammo," Barrel said.

"There's always next time," Lock said. "Let's take a break, maybe throw around that purple moose thing for a while."

"Or raid the fridge for candy. I'm hungry," Barrel said.

"Me too. Besides, I don't like that moose," Shock added.

"Alright. We'll get some food. Then we can destroy the little moose if we want," Lock said.

"Now that's a good idea," Barrel said to Lock as the three of them broke into a cackle and walked into another sector of the Base, unaware of a shocked, small purple moose hiding behind them.

"You're in for it now, Minimoose" a screen said as it hovered next to the figure.

The moose looked right at the screen and squeaked rather angrily for about a minute.

"You can't go to Dib's house, he's the enemy."

Minimoose squinted as it squeaked about five more times.

"Ok, maybe you_ are_ safer there, but Zim won't like it."

Minimoose shook its whole body as it squeaked this time.

"Ok, ok, I'll won't tell. Sheesh, don't get your nubs in a twist."

With a final, happy squeak, Minimoose glided upwards and, hopefully, out of the Base.

To Be Continued...


	11. Reluctant Minions

Author's Note: To be quite honest, I don't know what Minimoose is up to either. Not yet. I love working with him though, especially since he only appeared in the very last episode in the Invader ZIM series. Not that I favor him. No, I love all the characters, from the show and The Nightmare Before Christmas. And as much as I wish I owned the characters, I don't. If I win the lottery and buy them, you'll be the first to know.

Igor kept a vigil over the Continuum Portal for a while after Sally left. The only time he left it was when the doorbell rang. He debated whether or not to leave his spot before the bell rang a few mote times, frantically. Igor had a feeling that this was important, so hobbled down to the door and opened it. It was the Mayor, and from the look on his face he wasn't in the best of moods.

"Yes?" Igor asked.

"Igor, good, you're home," the Mayor said, head spinning around to reflect his relief. "Is Doctor Finkelstein in? I'd hate to bother him, but the townspeople are worried about Jack and Boogie's Boys. I came to see if there's been any progress."

"Doctor's gone," Igor said.

"Gone? Well, is Sally in?"

"Sally's gone too."

"Oh, my," the Mayor said as his head spun back to its previous frazzled state. "Where are they?"

"Doctor kidnapped. Sally went in the portal to find Jack and children."

"WHAT?"

"That's what happened," Igor said with a shrug.

"At least Sally is accounted for, but who would kidnap the-" the Mayor started before shivering. "Let me guess, Oogie Boogie?"

"Yes," Igor said, nodding furiously.

"Why him? Jack can handle him, but me? Oh, this is terrible, and not the good kind!"

"You can try."

"I suppose. I mean, I am the mayor after all. I'm in a position of power. Yes, I think I'll go give Oogie Boogie a piece of my mind. What do you think, Igor?"

"Your funeral," Igor said.

"That's the spirit!" the Mayor exclaimed happily, head turning to show his new determination.

With a broad smile, the Mayor turned around and made his way to his car, tripping over his feet once or twice before getting in. When he did get in, he honked his horn to Igor a few times as he drove off. Igor sighed and closed the door. He had a portal to guard, and from the looks of things, he would have to make a point of staying there until all five Halloween travelers returned. Either that or follow the Mayor to certain doom.

Meanwhile…

"Doom, doom, doomie, doom doom," GIR sang to himself, still sitting in Doctor Finkelstein's empty head.

"He's been singing that for the whole time you were gone and still won't shut up," Oogie Boogie complained to Zim, who was connecting wires to Doctor Finkelstein's brain.

"You're free to strangle him," Zim said.

"Finally, something you said that makes sense," Oogie said to Zim before turning his attention on GIR. "Come here, you little trash can," Oogie said before gasping in air, pulling GIR into his arms with the sheer force.

"Whee! I like this game!" GIR exclaimed when he landed.

"GIR, offensive mode," Zim said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" Oogie Boogie asked before he noticed GIR's features turn red and a number of guns appear out of his head.

"Targeting enemy," GIR said in a serious tone as the guns began to charge.

"AHHHHHHH!" Oogie Boogie screamed, dropping GIR on the floor and jumping behind an Irken counter for safety.

"Hee hee!" GIR giggled, guns returning into his head and features turning back into their usual color. "That game's fun too."

"Think you're slick, huh?" Oogie Boogie asked Zim, who connected the other ends of the brain wires into a floating screen.

"No. I_ know _I'm slick. I'm Zim, after all," Zim said as he flipped a switch on a floating screen that turned it on.

"What? Where am I?" the screen asked in Doctor Finkelstein's voice, the fragmented image of his face appearing on the screen. "Oogie!"

"Yeah, geezer?" Oogie Boogie asked the screen.

"What is the meaning of this? Why do you look so fuzzy?" it asked, prompting Oogie Boogie to point to a puddle of water that had gathered under a leaky pipe.

"See for yourself," Oogie Boogie said.

"I very well shall see. The nerve you have." the screen muttered as it hovered to the puddle, looked down, and nearly flew into a wall if Zim hadn't grabbed the cord that connected it to the brain on the table. "This. Isn't. My. BODY!"

"I think it's an improvement. You should be bowing to me in awe for doing such amazing work," Zim said.

"If I still had my arms I'd strangle you!" yelled the screen, facing another wall.

"You can't even see straight!" Oogie Boogie laughed.

"I can see _you_ just fine, Oogie," The screen said, turning to face the boogie man. "Only the blind can miss your obese excuse for a body."

"Zim, unplug the geezer, he's annoying me."

"Unplug?"

"See this, old man?" Zim asked the screen, which turned to face Zim holding something of his in his arms.

"My brain! What have you done to it?"

"These cables are connected to you. I can disconnect your brain at any time and feed it to my robot. Unless, of course, you obey me."

"Us," Oogie Boogie corrected.

"Fine. But I'm more important," Zim said.

"Me too!" GIR yelled as he settled back into the professor's head.

"Do you even know what we're talking about?" Oogie Boogie asked GIR.

"Nope!"

"Ignore the trash can, geezer."

"What do you want from me?" the screen asked in defeat.

"Give me a way to bring me back to the planet I'm supposed to be conquering at the moment. Until I'm home, you're going to be my minion."

"You'll never get away with this."

"I've heard that before, Stink Creature. It didn't scare me then and it doesn't scare me now."

"Very well," the screen sighed. "If you _must_ go so quickly, then I'll rebuild the Portable Portal Opener. You're lucky I remember its components, but I doubt you'll have any of them here."

"Try me," Zim said to the screen as he opened a container on one of his counters and spilled out a fine collection of scientific odds and ends.

"Shut up and get to work, doc," Oogie Boogie said as he heard a scream coming from the front of the lair.

"AHHHHHH!" GIR screamed in response, disappointed when it didn't answer.

"It's my doorbell, stupid," Oogie Boogie said to GIR as he left to answer the door.

"He's advanced!" Zim yelled just before Oogie opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Oogie," said the Mayor, clearly disturbed at the fact he was speaking to Halloween Town's most infamous outsider.

"Mayor," Oogie Boogie nodded. "What do you want?"

"Say, you-you haven't seen Doctor Finkelstein around, have you?"

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all."

"You're a bad liar, Mayor."

"No I'm not, I mean, I'm not lying."

"Lying is disrespect. You're disrespecting me."

"Whew, look at the time! Bye, Oogie," the Mayor yelped before practically flying away from Oogie Boogie and back into Halloween Town.

"He'll be back," Oogie Boogie said to himself in a disgusted tone as a crash came to his attention.

"GIR! Stop throwing the empty shell around!" Zim yelled.

"We're dancing the tango!" GIR replied.

"Leave my body alone!" yelled Doctor Finkelstein from his screen-prison.

After much debating at the doorway, Oogie turned around and went back into the base. Heck, if he wasn't going to control the madness, who was? Besides, the sooner Zim and GIR were back at home, the better. Of course, if they were locked there with Jack Skellington, that would be perfect.

Meanwhile…

"Dib, get me a soda," Gaz said from the couch. "Dib!"

"Coming," Dib said from the kitchen.

"It still better be cold when you get here," Gaz said before Dib walked over and handed her the soda.

"The last one. Enjoy it," Dib said.

"Where's Bone Face?"

"Jack is on his way over."

"If he ditched me, he'll know what real fear is. Dib, change the channel on the TV."

"But you have the remote."

"Do it, Dib."

"Fine," Dib said in a near whine as he changed the channel.

"Maggots eating corpses! This is gonna be great. Make some popcorn," Gaz ordered.

"We don't have any popcorn."

"Then buy some."

"I can't go out any more, Gaz. You know what dad said."

"You'll be able to if I tell him we have who he's looking for. Money's on the counter, Big Head."

Rather than pressing the issue any further, Dib got some money from the kitchen counter and walked out of the house. As he made his way to a supermarket, he came across Jack and the Sally he had been talking about earlier. Apparently, they were waiting around to see which house Dib and his large head came out of; when Dib left, they followed him. Under normal circumstances, Dib would have told Jack, yet again, that his head wasn't big. Of course, he was happy to talk to people who didn't think he was crazy or ordering him around at the moment.

"She has me buying popcorn. Popcorn! I don't know how she can watch those creature-eating-creature shows without throwing up," Dib complained.

"What's being eaten?" Jack asked.

"Corpses," Dib said.

"Ooh. Hits a little too close to home," Jack said.

"I'll say," Sally agreed.

"I don't think I have enough. If I show up back at home without the popcorn I'm doomed," Dib said.

"Should he be that scared, Jack?" Sally asked.

"Definitely. Sally, let me warn you right now, you do _not_ want to get on his sister's bad side. She's terrifying."

"It's true," Dib added while he recounted his money. "Good, I have enough. Wait here, I'm going to the store on the next block. I'll be right back."

"See, I told you his head was huge," Jack whispered to Sally once Dib was out of earshot.

"I'm surprised he can walk straight," Sally said to Jack, making the both of them chuckle a bit.

"In all fairness, he has a lot of brains in that head. He's going to use them to get us home."

"Don't forget Boogie's Boys. We still need to find them."

"Which won't be easy. Think we should leave them here?"

"Jack, we can't do that."

"Not permanently. I'd just like to go a week without washing egg yolks from my windows and removing toilet paper from my gates."

"Well, when they ask trick or treat, give them the treat."

"That _is_ when I give them the treat."

"Oh my."

"They are getting no guidance from Oogie. No matter how many times I try to talk sense into him about their antics he just ignores me."

"He shouldn't do that, Jack, you're the Pumpkin King," Sally said comfortingly as she rested her right hand on his shoulder before drawing it away suddenly.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Nothing."

"That was something."

"No, it wasn't."

"Come on, Sally."

"Look, Dib's back."

"I'm not falling for that."

"I got the popcorn," Dib's voice said, making Jack turn around. "We can go home. Follow me," he said to Jack and Sally as he walked ahead, Sally joining him and Jack lagging behind a little.

What was with her? Just when Jack would have some kind of comfy moment with his best friend, she'd get all riled up for no reason. Perhaps he had subconsciously scared her. Could he do that? He didn't mean to if he did. Jack sighed; that was something he would have to talk over with Sally once they were home.

To Be Continued...


	12. Mixed Messages

Author's Note: On and on and on we go. When will this tale end? Heck, I don't know. I do know that I own no places or people featured in it. Those all belong to Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, and Disney/Touchstone or Jhonen Vasquez, Kevin Manthei, Steve Ressel, and Nickelodeon/Viacom. I'm a fangirl. I own myself. At least, I hope I do.

"How much meat does this guy eat?" Barrel asked Lock and Shock, opening Zim's refrigerator to find steaks just lying inside.

"Tell me about it," Lock said. "There's meat in the cabinets and under the sink too."

"Don't forget the toast," Shock said, pointing to a toaster that was currently sticking out of one wall and shooting toast slices across the kitchen.

"Oh, Zim doesn't eat any of that," said the voice of the Base's computer.

"What do you do, follow us around the house?" Lock asked the ceiling.

"I _am_ the house."

"So you're a ghost?" Barrel asked.

"No. Just wires," said the voice, now coming from a monitor that floated from the ceiling.

"Well, what is there to eat?" Shock asked the screen.

"I dunno. GIR likes the Acne Blast cream. Oh, and he orders from Bloaty's all the time too."

"Bloaty's?" Lock, Shock, and Barrel asked.

"It's a filthy pizza place. I'll dial them up, GIR has a tab there anyway."

"Why are you being nice to us? What's the catch?" Lock asked.

"No catch, none at all."

"Good," Shock said. "Let us know when it comes."

"Where are all of you going?" the computer asked.

"To see if there are any other animals we can launch into space," Barrel said.

"Don't forget," Shock said to the computer as the three scampered off, back into the depths of the Base.

"Finally," the computer said to itself, its monitor changing from the red Irken insignia it usually had during broadcast to something that strangely resembled a profile of Zim.

Meanwhile…

"It goes to the left of the screen, you dolt!" the screen carrying Doctor Finkelstein's personality yelled at Zim.

"You are the dolt! A gasquiggasplorch could program this better than you!" Zim yelled back at the screen.

"What's a gasquiggasplorch?" Oogie Boogie asked offhandedly.

"Your mamma!" GIR exclaimed, breaking into a fit of giggles and banging on the sides of Doctor Finkelstein's inactive head.

"I didn't ask you, trash can," Oogie Boogie said to GIR.

"A gassquiggasplorch is a dull-witted beast from my home planet, but not as dull-witted as this excuse for a scientist," Zim said, pointing to Doctor Finkelstein's screen.

"Fine, put that button there and blow yourself to smithereens. You'll be doing everyone a favor," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"Geezer's got a point, Zim," Oogie Boogie said.

"Quiet, Oogie!" Zim exclaimed before he felt a transmission coming in from his PAK.

Zim allowed a metallic rod to slither its way out from his PAK. It projected a holographic screen of his "living room" on Earth. There was no one there. That of course meant that the computer itself was making the transmission. But why?

"Computer? What is the meaning of this?" Zim asked in an arrogant tone.

"Zim?" the computer's voice asked.

"Almighty Invader ZIM."

"Good. Because I got Skoodge by mistake a few seconds ago and he sounded like he was in a lot of pain."

"Get to the point, Computer."

"Yeah, uh, there are these three kids running amok in the Base."

"WHAT?"

"They won't leave. Minimoose ran off and I'm stuck cleaning up all the mess. It's really annoying. They break a wall or blow something up every hour."

"Computer! Don't just slack off, kill them!"

"They can't be killed," Oogie Boogie said proudly. "I know exactly who you're talking about."

"Who is it?" GIR asked.

"They're-"

"Who?" GIR asked, interrupting Oogie Boogie.

"They are-" Oogie Boogie said, clearly irritated.

"I wanna know!"

"SHUT UP!" Zim yelled at both of them.

"Finally, that big mouth of yours is useful," Doctor Finkelstein said.

"You are one step from being unplugged, Otherworldly Stink Monkey," Zim said to the screen.

"As I was saying, they're Lock, Shock, and Barrel. You can't kill them, they're already dead," Oogie Boogie said.

"Oh. They touched your antibacterial meat," the computer told Zim.

"They tainted the meat? Great! Now when I do go back I'll be germ-filled. Disinfect the Base, Computer. And if you can't kill them, then maim them or fuse them to the weasels."

"Oh no you don't. You leave them alone. They work for me. I'll gladly have them back here once we get Zim and his trash can here home," Oogie Boogie said to the hologram.

"Ok. Besides, they used up all the weasels," the computer said.

"That's it! I am rewiring you when I return! Good-bye, Computer!" Zim said, forcing the mechanical leg to snake back into his PAK.

"Awwww, I wanted to say hi to Pig," GIR said, slightly tearing up.

"You can say hi to Pig when we go back to Earth," Zim said to GIR before turning to Doctor Finkelstein's screen. "Hurry with the device!"

"Gladly," Doctor Finkelstein said to Zim as he began directing him on where to place certain buttons.

Oogie didn't have anything to add. So his henchchildren were slowly but surely ruining everything Zim owned? Ha. He taught them well. For a moment, he wondered if Zim could stay a bit longer, just so Lock, Shock, and Barrel could completely wreck his belongings by the time he and GIR went back. Then, Oogie glanced over to GIR, who was having _way_ too much fun riding around in Doctor Finkelstein's empty head. No. These lunatics had to go before they drove Oogie crazy too. Besides, they could have a grand time driving Jack insane once Oogie made sure they were all stuck there. All he wanted in the first place was to lure Jack into another world and entrap him there. Somehow, this little detour would turn out just as well.

Meanwhile…

"What took you so long?" Gaz asked Dib as he, Jack, and Sally entered the house.

"Hello to you too," Dib said to his sister in a sarcastic tone.

"Shut up and make the popcorn," Gaz said to Dib, who made his way into he kitchen with the box of popcorn. "You too, Bone-" Gaz started before opening her right eye in wariness. "Who's she?"

"Oh, this is Sally," Jack said to Gaz, Sally waving shyly before putting her hand down.

"Good, another servant. You can get me a soda, this one ran out," Gaz said.

"Gaz, you drank the last soda," Dib's voice said from the kitchen.

"I did, didn't I? Dib, go and buy a bottle of soda."

"But we just got home."

"You said you'd do anything, Dib. Remember?"

"Sally and I will go," Jack said.

"What?" Sally asked.

"Alright. Be back in less than ten minutes or I'll have a ghost trap waiting for you."

"Got it," Jack said to Gaz before dragging Sally out of the house.

"She's horrible," Sally said to Jack as they walked back towards the place they had just left. "That poor boy."

"I know," Jack said.

"Poor you, having to deal with her for a day."

"She beat me up with a baseball bat. Well, it was my fault for sleeping on the couch without notifying her, but it still hurt."

"That's no excuse. It's good Lock, Shock, and Barrel haven't met her or else there'd be a Terrible Quartet."

"I doubt it. She'd probably have them doing her chores too," Jack said.

"Probably," Sally said.

"Sally?"

"Yes?"

"About before… sorry if I scared you. I don't have it all under control yet. I didn't mean to."

"You didn't scare me, Jack. What are you talking about?"

"You had your arm around me like this," Jack said, left arm reaching around Sally and landing on her left shoulder. "And then you kind of jumped back," Jack said, demonstrating that as well.

"Oh, I wasn't scared, just realizing my boundaries," Sally said.

"Boundaries?"

"You're the Pumpkin King. People can't act touchy-feely with you, it's disrespectful."

"But you're not just any person, you're my best friend."

"Jack, we have soda to pick up."

"There you go, changing the subject. You do that a lot too."

"Jack, just drop it!" Sally exclaimed, gasping slightly after she had done so. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from."

"It's alright. You're new here, still getting used to things. I'm not helping by nagging you. I'm sorry too," Jack said as he reached around Sally again.

"Is that the place?" Sally asked, pointing to a convenience store just ahead.

"Looks like it. Hold on, I'll be right back."

Before Sally could ask Jack what he was doing, he entered the store. In a few minutes, he returned with about four bottles of assorted sodas. He handed two to Sally and made their way to Dib's house once again. Only, when they got there, there was another person waiting for them. Well, not exactly a person.

"Guys! Glad you're back, listen, I think I know where the kids you're looking for are," Dib said to Jack and Sally when they entered the house.

"Wait! Drop the soda here first," Gaz said, smiling slightly at the four bottles of soda Jack and Sally gave her. "Not bad."

"Quick, to my room," Dib said as he walked ahead of Jack and Sally.

"Where are they Dib?" Jack asked.

"Zim's Base, they have to be, or else he wouldn't have shown up here," Dib said, opening the door to his room and pointing to a small purple moose hovering over his bed.

Minimoose squeaked in a frightened tone upon seeing Jack and Sally. He even glided under Dib's blanket to hide.

"We won't hurt you," Sally said.

Minimoose squeaked again, peeking a little from beneath the blanket.

"Here, this will help us understand him," Dib said, taking out his laptop and entering a translation program. He then attached a cable to the laptop and put the other end in Minimoose's mouth "Ok, Minimoose, squeak away."

"Yeah right, your futile human technology will never- whoa!" Minimoose's "voice" said from the laptop.

"Alright, Minimoose, why are you here?"

"Listen, Big Head Dib, this doesn't change a thing between us. I still serve Zim, got it?"

"Fine, just tell us why you're here."

"There are these three bad kids in the Base. Really bad kids. They're breaking stuff and now they want to beat me up."

"That sounds like them all right," Jack said. "So that means it _was_ them in the machine. They are going to get it when I find them."

"Anyway, I'm probably safer here than anywhere else. But if you even think of dissecting me, I'll blow you up, Dib. I'll do it! I have the power in my nubs!"

"Enough of that," Dib said, taking the cable end out of Minimoose's mouth, causing the moose to squeak angrily.

"What do we do now?" Sally asked Dib and Jack.

"Sleep on it. We're definitely heading to Zim's Base tomorrow," Dib said. "Once we get those kids, you can all go home and bring Zim here to meet justice."

"I can't wait. I'm so excited, I doubt I'll sleep," Jack said.

"Someone fluff my cushion!" Gaz yelled from the living room.

"Well, goodnight, everyone," Jack said, fake yawning and about to lie down on Minimoose, who squeaked in his highest pitch yet.

"Oh no you don't," Dib said, grabbing Jack's hand and dragging him out of the room.

"This is Pumpkin King abuse!" Jack exclaimed.

Sally shook her head and giggled. She knew Jack was kidding, for he could have turned intangible the minute Dib grabbed him. She gathered her breath and followed the pair. Something told her that Gaz wouldn't be too enthusiastic about letting them rest for the big day tomorrow.

To Be Continued…


	13. One Day More

Author's Note: Who's ready for some more trouble? I know I am. Ooh, I love writing for all of these characters. Tim and Jhonen have fantastic brains for making up their respective characters and universes. I guess they're the fathers of both The Nightmare Before Christmas and Invader ZIM. What luck to update on Father's Day, then.

What a horrible dream! The Dimensional Traveler was a complete disaster, causing mayhem in two worlds. As Professor Membrane opened his eyes, he could have sworn that all that happened was a figment of his imagination due to his overworked mind. Then, when he stretched, he realized he was in a chair in front of surveillance monitors. This wasn't a dream. It was a living nightmare.

"Simmons?" Professor Membrane asked weakly to the semi-awake figure in the chair next to his.

"Sir?" Simmons asked, snapping into full awareness. "Oh, you're awake! Are you alright, sir?"

"What time is it?"

"About three in the morning."

"I've been out for that long?"

"These are stressful times, professor. I fear to inform you of what has happened since you lost consciousness."

"No, I have to hear it. Better to know than to stay ignorant. That is the point of science itself," Professor Membrane said, bracing himself for the news.

"The fifth traveler escaped. I don't know how, I've looked over the tapes over and over and one moment she's there, the next, vanished," Simmons said rather quickly.

"Well, at least I'm still conscious," Professor Membrane said. "Has there been any sightings of any of them? Any police reports of strange occurrences?"

"The day was full of them," Simmons said, taking a folder from the counter and handing it to the professor. "However, they all range in the paranormal. This television news show has been following them."

"Mysterious Mysteries?"

"Yes. You have time to watch television?"

"No. It's my son's favorite show. He even made an appearance on it once, so did I. And that unfortunate green child. Dib had to be taken home in a straightjacket. My poor, insane son," Professor Membrane sighed.

"Well, there have been strange happenings in Bloaty's Pizza Hog, the mall, and a convenience store. The clerk from the last place reported four soda bottles floating out the doors. He was about to be taken to the hospital before surveillance tapes confirmed his sighting," Simmons said.

"The only things that were taken were soda bottles?"

"Yes."

"Interesting," Professor Membrane said. "Tell me, Simmons, was there anything going on in the mall at the time of occurrence?"

"A mechanical tank-like weapon fell in through the ceiling. Most of the witnesses who saw it fall through were either on their way to the food court or pre-ordering a video game," Simmons said.

"Simmons, I have to go home. I'll be back as soon as I can. Get the traveler ready, I think I know where our inter-dimensional visitors are," Professor Membrane said in a dark tone as he got up, and left the surveillance room immediately.

Meanwhile…

"Soda refill," Gaz said to Dib, Jack, and Sally as she held out an empty cup. "And lower the A/C. It's cold in here."

"How can you still be wide awake?" Jack asked Gaz with a yawn while Dib went to get soda.

"Don't distract me, Bone Face, I'm in a boss fight," Gaz said, fingers calculating their every move on her Gameslave. She only paused to get her soda from Dib and yell at Sally. "I said to lower it!"

"I'm sorry," Sally said. "These buttons are so confusing."

"Can we please go to sleep?" Jack asked Gaz in his most polite voice.

"No. I'll need more refills, a comfortable gaming environment, and one of you will have to run out for batteries in case this thing dies on me."

"Gaz, it's after three in the morning. What place is going to be open?" Dib asked.

"You'll find one," she said, pausing her game and digging through her dress pocket until finding what she was looking for. "Or do you want Dad to see this?"

"How did- You went in my room?" Dib asked, recognizing the picture of Jack.

"The door was wide open. Besides, I had to get ghost traps ready in case Bone Face decided to escape."

"You are a crafty one, I'll give you that," Jack said.

"It's hot in here, put the A/C on higher," Gaz said to Sally. "That wasn't a request, it was an order."

"I wish I had some Deadly Nightshade," Sally mumbled to herself as she programmed the air conditioner.

"What was that?" Gaz asked, already immersed into her game again.

"Nothing," Sally said in an innocent tone.

"Now quiet, I need complete silence for this battle," Gaz said just before all four of them heard footsteps coming up to the door.

"It can't be," Dib said quietly as the sound of keys came to his ears. "It's Dad. Quick, go to my room," he whispered to Jack and Sally, who nodded and took off for Dib's room.

"Son?" Professor Membrane asked in a stern tone when he entered the house. "Good, you're up. We need to talk."

"Dad, hi," Dib said, beads of sweat forming on his oversized forehead. "You're home really late. Everything alright at work?"

"Where are they, Son?"

"They? They who?"

"Dib, do not play dumb with me. It's genetically impossible for you to be authentically dim-witted. I know you are up to something and I am going to ask once again, where are they?"

"In his room," Gaz said, never once looking up from her game.

"GAZ!" Dib exclaimed.

"He trapped them there," Gaz added.

"No I- what?" Dib asked as his father rushed past him.

Professor Membrane first ran into a closet on his way to his son's room. He took a mental note to program his house's blueprint in his goggles before finally reaching Dib's Room. He opened the door to find two people, if they could be called people, entrapped in some kind of transparent netting. One was the woman he had seen earlier, the one who indirectly caused his fainting spell. The other was the skeleton who was the first one captured in the wake of the Dimensional Traveler disaster. Both seemed to be unable to break through the netting, which was actually not tangible.

"My Inverted Ectoplasm Net!" Dib yelled. "It actually works! Oh, um, sorry guys. I thought I had it stored in a better place."

"Obviously not," Jack said in a disgruntled tone.

"Don't apologize for trapping them, Son. Now they can be returned to their proper home," Professor Membrane said.

"We can't go home yet," Sally said. "We still need to find three people."

"It's true, Dad," Dib said.

"Son, I am aware of the other three travelers. However, I am not going to allow these two, who have already escaped before, to look for them. They are not trustworthy and I am surprised that you of all people would allow for them to go unsupervised. You caught them with your own equipment."

"It was that she-devil of a daughter of yours that entrapped us!" Jack exclaimed in frustration before clearing his throat. "I, um, I mean that in the best possible way, sir. Really."

"Gaz? I should have known. She is always the one who chooses real science over paranormal nonsense. Though, to be fair, this _is_ paranormal nonsense," Professor Membrane said to himself.

"Dad, please, you have to let them go. They won't escape. Besides, we were going to find the other three travelers in a few hours."

"After I specifically told you not to leave the house for errands?"

"Yes. Look, I didn't raise the living dead this time!"

"Actually, we're not exactly alive," Jack said, prompting Sally to elbow him. "Ow!"

"Well, living dead from this dimension," Dib said, sheepishly chuckling.

"But they are still living dead," Professor Membrane said, clearly running out of patience.

"And that means there are three of them still out there, and I know exactly where they are. Dad, I know you're busy and if you could hunt them down yourself, you would. But you can't. I can. I have the equipment and the experience from hunting down Zim. I can do it. We can do it, but only if you let them go. Please, Dad? It will be a step towards real science for me," Dib pleaded.

"Encore!" Jack exclaimed, causing Sally to elbow him again. "Sally!"

"Sorry, there's no room in here."

"Well, I can't let them go. It's your net," Professor Membrane said, relenting.

"Thank you, Dad! You won't regret this," Dib said with a wide smile.

"You have twenty-four hours, Dib. If you don't have the others by then, I will take matters into my own hands. And after this is all over, I expect you to be picking up some more real science and leaving the paranormal nonsense behind."

"After this is all over, I promise," Dib said. "But you have to admit, it isn't all nonsense, is it?"

"We can leave that conversation for another day, Son. You have work to do," Professor Membrane said, giving Dib an encouraging pat on the back before walking out of the room.

"You're just going to let him get away with it?" Gaz asked her father, pestering him as he walked down the hall.

"Now, Daughter, your brother and I made a deal. After this, he is going to focus on real science."

"And you believed him?"

"He'll come around. It's in his blood."

"Yeah, but I doubt it's in that gigantic head of his."

"You always were the funny one," Professor Membrane said, chuckling at Gaz's comment. "Good job capturing the pair, and make sure your brother holds up his end of our deal to the best of your abilities."

"Can I use any means necessary?"

"Of course. Good luck to all of you," Professor Membrane said as he left his house, feeling much better than when he entered.

Meanwhile…

"It took hours, but it's done," Doctor Finkelstein's voice said from the screen.

"Finally! ZIM can go home! Thanks to my brilliance, I can go back to conquering the Earth," Zim said, proudly holding up the arm piece.

"You never would have built it without me."

"Yes. I _am_ amazing."

"I am not even going to bother," the screen said, defeated.

"GIR? GIR, exit the feeble man's head and come here," Zim said, watching GIR flip out of Doctor Finkelstein's head and stare in awe at the arm piece.

"Oooooooh. Pretty bracelet!" GIR exclaimed.

"Eh? It's no bracelet. It's our ticket out of this Halloweenie infested land of doom."

"We're going?" GIR asked. "Can I take Baldy Duck Man?"

"Absolutely not!" Doctor Finkelstein screamed from his screen prison.

"Oogie?" Zim asked the sleeping heap of burlap next to the mechanical cowboys. "Wake up!"

"Come on, baby, you know you want me," Oogie Boogie murmured in his sleep as he rolled over.

"Cannonball!" GIR exclaimed before rolling on the floor, leaping in the air, and then diving right into Oogie's large stomach area.

"Oof! I'm awake," Oogie Boogie said, sitting straight up and hearing a clank of metal hit the ground.

"I wanna do that again!"

"Not on your afterlife, trash can."

"Oogie, GIR wants to take the disgusting old shell he's been frolicking in. Not that I should be asking your permission, but I don't want to take an empty Halloweenie I'll probably have to return," Zim said.

"Knock yourself out," Oogie Boogie said.

"Oogie! Don't you even think about letting them take my-" Doctor Finkelstein started before Zim unplugged his brain from the screen.

"Pitiful Halloweenie. His brain could not match the cable pulling of ZIM!"

"You going home yet?" Oogie Boogie asked Zim.

"I have to uninstall all of my equipment. I won't be headed back until morning. You could help, being that I'm too great to be doing this all by myself."

"Yeah, I'm going back to sleep. And if your stupid trash can-"

"Robot."

"If it jumps on me again, I'm eating it."

"YAY!" GIR exclaimed.

"I think it's better off digested," Oogie Boogie said.

"Go to sleep, Squish Bag," Zim said in a disgusted tone as he began to take things apart.

"Not a problem," Oogie Boogie said, slowly falling back to his slumber, with the happy thought of Zim and GIR closer to disappearing from his afterlife forever.

To Be Continued…


	14. Detours

Author's Note: Well, readers, this'll be my last update until around early-mid July. Summer vacation time, loves, and I'm going to sunny California. So if I happen to find Tim Burton or Jhonen Vasquez there, perhaps I can buy the rights to either The Nightmare Before Christmas or Invader ZIM off of them. Or at least kidnap them and bring them back home.Until then, I own nothing but the plot.

As soon as his father left the room, Dib went about releasing Jack and Sally. It turned out to be much harder than ensnaring them in the first place. After about twenty minutes, they were free. Though, one thing bothered Dib after that. Where was Minimoose? The answer came from underneath Dib's desk.

"Hey! Over here, Big Head," said Minimoose's 'voice'.

"So you found my laptop," Dib said, looking under the desk, finding Minimoose with a cable in his mouth and a laptop next to him.

"_Someone _had to call for help before your father barged in here."

"He didn't call for help. He just cowered there in his moosey way," Jack said.

"Moosey way?" Sally asked, confused at Jack's terminology.

"He's just been here for too long," Dib said to Sally.

"What about me? I'm an enemy hench-moose! I'm not supposed to be here at all. Where's my pity, huh?"

"Since you want to go home so badly, you can come with us to catch the kids in the Base."

"No thanks," Minimoose said, spitting out the cable translating his thoughts and giving one final squeak.

"Suit yourself," Dib said, watching the moose hover back onto his bed and close its eyes.

"Now what?" Jack asked Dib.

"Well, Gaz can't blackmail us anymore, so we have all that hiding out of the way. Don't let your guard down, though. She could always come up with something else."

"Dib, I don't intend to sound rude, but how can your sister be so, well, horrible?" Sally asked.

"Beats me. She's helpful sometimes; at least she tries. Somehow, things turn out worse when she helps. She can't mean it, can she?"

"No, not at all," Jack said, grabbing Sally's left wrist. "As interesting as this conversation is, maybe we'd better get some sleep."

"You're right. We can get a good three hours if we start now. Goodnight, you guys," Dib said just as Jack and Sally closed his door.

"What was that all about?" Sally asked Jack, who let go of her wrist.

"Shhh. You never know if that she-devil is listening. You don't want to incur her wrath, believe me."

"Jack, she's bossy and mean, but she can't harm us that badly. We're already dead."

"Chances are, that girl can do things to us that are much worse than death," Jack said.

"You're terrified of her," Sally said, surprised.

"We're in a whole different world, Sally. Our rules don't apply here. Who knows what could happen?" Jack asked before looking down the hallway. "Let's sneak out."

"What?" Sally asked.

"Are you tired?"

"Not really, no."

"Neither am I. Let's sneak out for a while."

"Jack, we can't do that. Dib's going to wake up looking for us."

"We'll be back before he wakes up. Come on, Sally. We're in a whole new place where nobody really knows us. Frankly, I've been feeling a little cooped up here and now that Gaz can't turn us in to her father, we can go out in the clear."

"I don't know…"

"Please, Sally? It'll be fun, just you and me," Jack asked, grabbing both of Sally's hands and making the bottom of his jaw tremble sadly.

"No, Jack. Don't make that face. You know I can't say no to that face," Sally said, trying to look away.

"That's why I'm doing it."

"Oh, fine. But we better be back here before Dib wakes up."

"You won't regret it. Shall we go?" Jack asked, bowing to Sally in an overdramatic way.

"We shall," Sally said, bringing Jack back to her level and walking out of the house with him.

Meanwhile…

"Where did he go?" Lock asked Shock and Barrel, who both looked under the couch in the living room for any sign of Minimoose.

"We've been looking for that stupid thing for hours," Shock said. "Just forget it."

"Yeah. Wanna finish the rest of the pizza?" Barrel asked Lock and Shock.

"Nah, I'm full. Let's shoot the slices into space," Lock suggested.

"That's your answer for everything," Shock said.

"No it isn't!" Lock exclaimed.

"Look, a roach," Shock said, pointing to the floor.

"Let's shoot it into- SHOCK! There's no roach there," Lock said.

"No, but I see an idiot standing in front of me."

"Take that back!"

"Make me!"

Barrel sighed and let the battle commence. After so many times trying to break Lock and Shock up, he would usually end up fighting them anyway. He walked back into the kitchen and jumped into the garbage can, alone this time. There had to be something he could do that didn't involve getting pummeled. That something turned out to be a room previously ignored by the trio, a room that lacked any implements of doom of any kind. It had plenty of screens though, each one with a different image of the Base and of world around them.

"What's this place?" Barrel asked, not expecting an answer.

"Surveillance Room," the computer said, causing Barrel to jump a few inches in the air.

"You really are everywhere!"

"I'm the _house_. Yeesh, you guys are dumber than dumb."

"Hey, Lock and Shock are gone," Barrel said, looking over the screen displaying the living room, now empty.

"Look around the screens, you'll see them," the computer said.

"There they are!" Barrel said, looking into a screen showing footage of a corridor. "Where's that place?"

"What are you talking about?" Lock asked as he and Shock walked into the room.

"Check this out, I saw you guys come in," Barrel said as he pointed to the screens.

"Yeah right," Shock said as she looked at the screens. "Hey, think we can talk to those tall guys again?"

"The Almighty Tallest," the computer corrected.

"Yeah, them."

"Hold on. I'll see if they're busy," the computer said to Shock as all the screens showed the same image of the red Irken insignia.

"Why do you want to talk to them?" Lock asked Shock. "We're not even close to taking over the world yet."

"They could help us. It's not like they're meaner than Oogie Boogie and just say no."

"We don't know that for sure," Barrel said to Shock.

"Well, we're about to find out," Shock said as the screens changed image once again.

"Red! It's Earth again!" Purple yelled, spewing doughnut crumbs from his mouth.

"Stop spitting those on me!" Red ordered before clearing his throat. "You took over the planet already? That was quick."

"No. We sort of have a problem with that," Shock said.

"Problem? Oh come on! We thought you were smarter than Zim, not dumber! You three are even a bit taller than he is," Red said in a disappointed tone.

"Yeah. Taller is smarter," Purple said, dropping his doughnut bag on the floor in the process. "My doughnuts!"

"We can't concentrate. Jack's looking for us," Shock said.

"It's true," Lock and Barrel added simultaneously.

"Wait, wait, wait. Who's Jack?" Red asked.

"Jack is in charge of everything back where we come from. If he finds us, he'll take us home and probably bring Zim back here," Lock said.

"He's really tall. Probably taller than you," Barrel added, watching both Red and Purple stare back at the three in horror.

"Taller than the Tallest? He's going to usurp us!" Purple cried out.

"He can't usurp us, Purple. He's not Irken," Red said before pausing. "Is he?"

"No. He's a skeleton," Shock said.

"See?" Red asked Purple.

"Anyway, with him on our trail, we can't go out and do any taking over," Shock said.

"Can't you just kill him? Throw him out an airlock or something?" Purple asked, clearly tiring of the subject.

"He's already dead," Barrel said. "We are too."

"Airlock?" Lock asked, confused by the term.

"Well, can you blow him to tiny bits?" Red asked.

"We tried that, it didn't work," Shock said.

"Hmmmm… you probably used some malfunctioning equipment. You are in _Zim's_ Base after all," Red said in a condescending tone.

"Yeah, I'm surprised they can still walk or aren't fused to meat," Purple said.

"Meat," Red repeated, causing both Tallest to roar with laughter.

"So what can we do?' Shock asked.

"We'll send some stuff that actually works, don't worry," Red said as he regained his composure.

"Meat! Ha! I remember when it started growing on his eyeballs!" Purple exclaimed between laughs.

"Yeah, expect it to drop in from Callnowia in a half-hour. Oh, and don't call back until you take over the planet or else, well, you're going to be the ones blown into bits instead," Red said in a tone half-stern and half-joking as the screens faded to the red insignias once more.

"See, I told you they'd help," Shock said.

"They're still pretty mean though," Barrel said as a noise at the doorway caught their attention.

"I knew it!" Lock exclaimed as he ran to the doorway and grabbed what made the noise, a plump, green-glowing weasel. "I knew there had to be more. Let's find the rest and shoot them into space!"

"Well, we do have half an hour to kill," Barrel said to Shock, who only sighed and followed the boys out of the Surveillance Room

Meanwhile…

Well, Sally was certainly taking her time. Igor had eaten at least three boxes of dog biscuits himself before he realized he had company. Zero, Jack's canine companion, had hovered his way back into the laboratory after disappearing for a while, most likely to look for Jack. Igor shared the last few boxes he had with him. From the fading light of Zero's nose, Igor could tell the spectral dog was sad. After all, his master had been gone for days and from the looks of things, wasn't returning any time soon. They were up until sunrise, at which point both dog and hunchback fell into slumber, tired from their vigil. Unfortunately, sleep came at the worst time for them, a while before a green-skinned boy and his equally shaded dog entered the laboratory with some extra 'baggage'.

"Whoo! We're goin' home!" GIR exclaimed.

"Shhh! GIR, quiet," Zim said, dragging the body of Doctor Finkelstein behind him, GIR giggling away in its open head.

"I'm gonna play with Baldy Duck Man every day."

"That's beside the point, GIR. Now, where was that room."

"There!"

"Really?"

"… Nope!"

"GIR," Zim growled. "Stop frustrating me. It's bad enough I have to drag this shell of a creature back with us. Oogie could have at least helped. I had the decency of giving him the thing's brain, but did he thank ZIM? No."

"There it is," GIR said, pointing ahead.

"Oh, I'm not falling for-" Zim started before looking right at a large portal. "Well, there it is. I knew it. I am ZIM!"

"Hurry! I wanna see the Scary Monkey Show," GIR said.

"GIR, quiet. You don't want to wake the hideous guard," Zim said, nodding towards a snoring Igor and Zero resting on his hunch.

"Awwww, they look so cute!" GIR said, ignoring the fact he was being dragged towards the operational panel.

"Let's see. "Zero, Three, Three, One, Two, Zero, Zero, One," Zim said, reading the coordinates from the control panel. Hang on, GIR, we're heading back to Earth."

"YAY!" the robot exclaimed as Zim dragged the body of the scientist into the portal and sent all three of them careening into their dimension.

What Zim and GIR didn't know was that they were followed. As soon as the coast was clear, Oogie Boogie crept right up to the portal. He checked to see if Igor or Jack's mutt was awake before grabbing a large wrench from a metallic table next to him and feeling its weight. Once he was sure it was perfect, Oogie Boogie went about smashing the Continuum Portal. He didn't leave until it was shattered into pieces. When his work was done, Oogie turned around and whistled his was back home. No Jack. No Zim. No more problems. This was going to be a wonderful day.

To Be Continued… 


	15. From Night to Dawn

Author's Note: Well, dearies, I'm back. California was absolutely fabulous. Unfortunately, I did not come across Tim or Jhonen, so everything in this story still belongs to one or the other. As for the world outside of cyberspace, well, we all know it's not doing all right. To all of my readers in the United Kingdom, I wish to send my deepest sympathies. If anything, I hope this little part will bring smiles to your faces, if only for a little while. 

Oogie's smile seemed to grow wider and wider as he made his way back to his lair. Just thinking about Zim annoying that bonehead Jack made him cackle with glee. He had to share it with someone. Then, he noticed something was off just a few steps away from his lair entrance. Something he had completely forgotten about in his desperation to get Zim and his robot out of his nonexistent hair. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were still in the other dimension and stuck there for good.

"CRAP!" Oogie Boogie exclaimed angrily, kicking the ground in front of them. "How am I going to do my dirty work now?" he whined before finally walking into his lair and then getting quite an idea.

Doctor Finkelstein's brain was still lying on a metallic table Zim had left behind. Perhaps Zim had left those screens and cables behind too. Oogie looked around for them. Nope. There were no screens or cables to be found. Damn. This was going hard. Oogie Boogie picked up the brain, stared it down, and then looked over to his mechanical cowboys. Well, a body was a body. Oogie borrowed the buzz saw and cut off the top of one of the cowboy heads and stuffed the brain in there. Just as he was going to put the rest of the head and hat together, the cowboy's eyes lit up and he began to talk.

"Oogie? Oogie! What happened?" the cowboy asked in Doctor Finkelstein's no-nonsense tone.

"Listen, geezer, you're going to help me," Oogie Boogie said.

"And why should I do that? Where are the horrible green child and his robot? This doesn't feel like my body, so they must still have it."

"Smarter than I thought. Yeah, they have it and they took it home."

"WHAT? How could you let that happen? Have you no brains in that sack of vermin you call a body?"

"Keep disrespecting me and I'll eat _your_ brain, geezer. You should be thanking me for even giving you a body."

"For your personal use!" Doctor Finkelstein yelled, causing the right arm of the mechanical cowboy body to shoot a bullet across the room.

"Easy there, geezer. A few more outbursts like that and you could short wire yourself. Not that I'd mind," Oogie Boogie said.

"What do you want, Oogie?" the doctor asked after a brief pause.

"I kind of smashed up the machine, that portal thing you made."

"What did you do?"

"I told you! Smashed it up with a wrench, pretty good too. Thing is, I need it fixed long enough for my goons to come home."

"How am I supposed to get back to my own lab like this?"

"I'll bring you over myself. You can see, right?"

"Well enough I suppose."

"Good. Now just keep quiet until I get you to the lab. Let the boogie man take care of all the rest."

Meanwhile…

What an amazing world! Buildings here seemed to brush right against the sky as an endless amount of people seemed to mill about on the streets. In spite of the fact it was closer to dawn than midnight, Jack and Sally were definitely not the only people out looking for a way to spend the rest of the night. Then, they stumbled upon a smaller building that seemed to move, bump up and down from the music playing within. Jack, being the ever-curious one, didn't think twice before running in. As always, Sally followed, unsure of what exactly was inside.

"Jack?" Sally asked among the many dancers crowing the floor and entrance. "Jack?"

"Over here!" Jack's voice yelled.

"Jack, you can't just-" Sally started before she found herself sucking on a pacifier.

"Oh, you got one too," Jack said, walking up to Sally and proudly displaying a pacifier hanging around his neck.

"What are these?" Sally asked as she took hers out.

"I don't know, but everyone here has one," Jack said, last part of that sentence being drowned out by the music.

"What?"

"Everyone has one!"

"WHAT?"

"EVERYONE. HAS. ONE!"

"This music's too loud!" Sally yelled.

"I know! Follow me!" Jack said, grabbing Sally's left hand and pulling her up the stairs to one of the quieter rooms that was supposed to be reserved. "Better?"

"Much," Sally said. "Hey, I didn't get a hat," she said, looking at floppy, black and white striped hat resting on his head.

"I don't even know how _I_ got it."

"If people are giving us things, then they can see us. Why hasn't anyone gotten scared yet?"

"I don't think they care. They're too busy dancing."

"That's dancing?" Sally asked, causing Jack to laugh.

"You're right. It looks like they're having seizures. It's probably dancing in this world."

"I don't like it too much."

"Neither do I, but the people here are friendly."

"Is there anywhere else we can go? My head's starting to hurt."

"I'd take you to Bloaty's, but I have a reputation there," Jack said sheepishly.

"Then maybe we should go back to Dib's house," Sally said.

"Already?" Jack asked in a sad tone as the music began to change. "Hey, it's slower now. Let's dance."

"What?" Sally asked.

"LET'S-"

"No, Jack. I heard you the first time."

"Oh. Well, how about it?"

"One dance, Jack. Once the song ends, we're going back to Dib's house. Promise?" Sally asked him.

"On my honor as Pumpkin King," Jack said. "Now let's get back downstairs before the song ends."

And so they did. Sally was a bit reluctant at first, for reasons Jack was too oblivious to understand. Still, as soon as she found herself wrapped up in his arms, she wished the song would never end. Not aloud, of course. If only she had to courage for something that daring. No, this was fine. Just her, Jack, and that strange feeling she currently had on her right leg. Sally looked down for a moment to see what that was and let go of Jack in shock.

"What's the matter?" Jack asked, genuinely curious.

"That," Sally said, pointing to the small green and black dog clamping her right leg in a bear hug.

"Crunchy lady!" it exclaimed. "I missed you!"

"It can't be," Sally said before picking up the dog. "You look different than before."

"It's a disguise. But don't tell anybody, that's a secret."

"What is he?" Jack asked Sally.

"Some kind of little metal man in a dog costume," Sally responded just before another voice began to scream its way into the crowd.

"GIR? GIR! I don't know _why _you enjoy this excuse for entertainment. Get back here! Step away from those-" Zim ordered, catching a glimpse of Jack and Sally. "AH! Halloweenies! GIR, get back here and follow me before they eat our sweet blood candies!"

"Can the crunchy lady come too?"

"NO, GIR!"

"Awww, bye, crunchy lady," GIR said to Sally, jumping to the floor and walking past Zim.

"Fear me, Halloweenies. I'M ZIM!" he yelled before marching briskly after GIR.

"_That's_ Zim? Well, Dib should have certainly taken care of him by now if he's that disorganized," Jack said. "Right, Sally? Sally?"

"Jack, let's go," Sally said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the dance club.

"Sally? What's wrong?" Jack asked, shielding his eyes from the sunlight when they exited.

"Zim had something on his arm, something like this," Sally said, lifting her right forearm and showing Jack the arm piece. "It means he got through the portal that Igor is supposed to be guarding because I told him to. Oh, no. Jack, what if something happened back at home? We have to go back."

"Right, but first, turn intangible," Jack said holding Sally's hands and turning the both of them intangible as guards from the lab stormed into the club.

"I can't believe this!" Professor Membrane exclaimed to Simmons as they followed the guards.

"Neither can I, sir," Simmons replied. "Not only did the green boy and his dog return, but they brought another specimen along!"

"At least that one didn't run away. It still doesn't make the situation any better, the path to that other dimension has been broken, hasn't it?" the professor asked his assistant.

"As soon as the three of them arrived, all contact was lost, sir," Simmons said. "With a little luck, we can get the connection back.

"And all of the travelers. Come, let's see if they've tracked the green boy and the dog at least. My son is very attached to them, you know," Professor Membrane said as they entered the club, unaware that two of the people they were looking for had escaped from right under their noses.

Meanwhile…

"How could you let them leave, Gaz?" Dib asked, sitting up in his bed while Gaz looked at him disdainfully from his doorway.

"You were the one babysitting them, not me," Gaz said. "They'd better stay away, because I don't like people who ditch me."

"You don't like _anyone_."

"True, but people who ditch me are high on my Give-Them-Nightmare-Worlds list."

"Who's the first one."

"You."

"Funny, Gaz," Dib said dryly as he sighed and stretched. "Well, I'm going to the Base with or without them."

"That's the spirit, Big Head," said a voice from underneath Dib's desk.

"What are you doing there?" Dib asked Minimoose, who had gone to the laptop once more.

"I had to come here. If I stayed in the bed, you would have crushed me with that enormous mass on your neck."

"He has a point," Gaz said.

"I don't even know why I'm letting you stay here," Dib said to Minimoose.

"I can leave anytime I feel like leaving."

"Then go."

"I don't feel like it," Minimoose said, spitting out the cable that gave him a voice and squeaking pompously at Dib before hovering past Gaz, who smirked after the moose left.

"Incoming," Gaz said to Dib as she moved out of the doorway, tripping Jack as he entered Dib's room.

"That wasn't very nice," Sally said to Gaz.

"Psh, whiners," Gaz said as she walked back to her room.

"Where have you been?" Dib asked Jack and Sally before seeing the pacifiers around their necks. "You went clubbing?"

"Clubbing? We didn't beat people with large sticks," Jack said, standing up and brushing himself off.

"Here, clubbing is going from club to club to dance and stuff."

"Well, not exactly then. We only went to one," Sally said.

"You went clubbing the night before a mission? That's counterproductive! Why am I the only one who's serious about saving the world here? Huh?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Jack said.

"Never mind, just get out for a few seconds while I change. We still have to go to the Base."

"Right, about that. We saw Zim," Jack said.

"He's back?" Dib asked.

"Zim and GIR, right? That is the little green dog metal man's name?" Sally asked Dib.

"That's right. Oh great, just what we need," Dib groaned. This was going to be much harder than he thought.

To Be Continued…


	16. Zim and the Halloweenies

Author's Note: Alas, poor Dib had one heck of a wake up call that last chapter. Let's see if things get better for him and for anyone else come to think of it. Once again, all things from Invader ZIM belong to Jhonen Vasquez and all things from The Nightmare Before Christmas came from Tim Burton. Me? I'm shamelessly using characters and worlds for this story. That's about it though.

"He won't stay mad at us, will he?" Sally as Jack as both of them sat on the living room couch, waiting for Dib.

"For having a little fun?" Jack asked Sally in return. "I don't think so."

"I do," Sally said, eyes drifting to Minimoose jumping up and down on the remote control to change the channels on the television. "Having fun?" she asked the moose, who squeaked in an irritated tone at her before resuming his channel changing.

"Oh, good. You're still here," Dib said to Jack and Sally as he left his room, dressed in his usual paranormal investigating outfit. "Visited everything overnight?"

"We're sorry, Dib," Jack said. "But honestly, could you imagine if you were cooped up in a new place with someone out to make your entire stay miserable?" Jack asked Dib, nodding to Gaz, who was playing her Gameslave at the kitchen table.

"I guess you have a point," Dib said pausing to focus on the television. "Hey! Stop changing the channel, Minimoose! I saw something."

Minimoose responded by shooting a laser from his antlers at Dib's feet and angrily squeaking his way under the couch. Lucky for Dib, the moose missed. Instead of having to nurse a laser-inflicted wound, Dib turned the channels back to what, rather whom, he had seen: his father. Correction- his father in front of a nightclub letting out its rowdy patrons.

"How did these cameras get here?" Professor Membrane asked someone off-screen.

"They've been following us ever since the first travelers came, sir," Simmons' voice replied.

"This is Mysterious Mysteries live with Professor Membrane," the anchor of the show said, pushing his way into view.

"Now see here, I didn't give my permission to-"

"Professor, how has the search for the inter-dimensional beings gone?"

"Frankly, sir, that isn't business I am free to discuss on television," Professor Membrane said before turning around to find some nightclub patrons making bunny ears behind his head. "_Very_ funny. And you people wonder why I didn't give you free power."

"Shouldn't the people know about the paranormal threat?"

"Paranormal? This is real science in its process."

"Ah, so this is real science. So it's a _real_ threat, then?"

"Enough! Turn these cameras off! Security!"

And that was the end of Professor Membrane's impromptu interview with Mysterious Mysteries. The television showed only static before Dib turned it off. They were supposed to be on a mission anyway. No more slacking off, Dib was definitely resolved to get to the Base. As he practically marched outside, Jack and Sally got up to follow, only to be interrupted by Gaz.

"You noticed, didn't you?" Gaz asked Jack and Sally.

"Noticed what?" Jack asked Gaz.

"How crazy Dib really is. Just wait until you see him and Zim being crazy _and_ stupid at the same time. Makes me sick."

"Well, if we don't see each other again, good-bye," Sally said.

"Psh, don't get sappy on me," Gaz said. "Take the moose with you, if it stays here it'll give Zim a reason to come over and I don't need that."

"Why should we? You've been very rude to us," Jack said, shrinking back at the glare Gaz gave him.

"If you're not out of my sight in ten seconds, you'll be very sorry you said that to me."

"Well, look at the time," Jack said nervously as he dove under the couch and grabbed Minimoose, who squeaked in surprise before closing its eyes in annoyance. "Well, it's been… interesting. Let's go, Sally."

"Gladly," Sally said quietly, getting a final look at Gaz waving at them before returning to her game.

Meanwhile…

"MY BEAUTIFUL BASE!" Zim screamed upon stepping inside, though, not out of happiness. The place was a mess. "COMPUTER!"

"HI!" GIR exclaimed, not receiving an answer from the computer either. "Aww, he's not home."

"It _is_ the home, GIR! Computer, answer me."

"Oh, it's busy," said a voice from the kitchen.

"Eh? Who's here?" Zim asked, looking into the dark entrance, where three children slowly walked out.

"So, you're Zim?" asked the one who spoke before, a devil-child with a mischievous look on his face.

"Yes, I am Zim. Perfectly normal human wormbaby, now get out of my house!" he exclaimed, prompting the three to pull ray guns on him. "What's the meaning of this?"

"We're taking over the planet now, so beat it," the girl of the group, a witch, told Zim.

"I love this game!" GIR cheered, clapping his hands and smiling at the three intruders.

"HA! You don't even know how to use one of those. You'll probably blow yourselves up."

"Really?" asked the last child, a skeleton. "Well, I guess we'd better be extra-careful then," he said to the other two.

"Yes, yes, now hand those over so I can give you a proper dooming."

Three Minutes Later…

"How far until we get there?" Jack asked Dib.

"Not too far. Just be on the look out for weird stuff," Dib said, causing Minimoose to hover next to him and squeak inquisitively. "Don't play dumb, you know weird stuff goes on in the Base."

"You mean like someone flying and screaming," Sally asked.

"Exactly. Wait, what?" Dib asked.

Sally pointed upwards to show him what she meant. No. It couldn't be. It was! Zim was hurtling in the air, screaming his head off at an amazing speed. Jack, Sally, and Dib stood dumbfounded as Zim's figure disappeared into an alleyway they had passed moments earlier. They would have chased after the Irken immediately if GIR, dressed in his dog outfit, hadn't tackled Sally.

"Crunchy lady!" GIR squealed.

"Hello, GIR," Sally said, struggling to get up. Surprisingly, Minimoose helped by bumping into GIR, causing the robot to focus his affection on him.

"Minimoose! I missed you!" GIR yelled, hugging the moose, which squeaked and gave GIR an electric shock. "Aww, that tickled."

"Hurry, he can't be too far away," Dib said.

"Never mind, here he comes," Jack said, pointing to a wobbling, short figure making its way to the group.

"The NERVE of those brats! GIR, get over here now! Don't think I can't see you with… oh, I know that giant head anywhere! Get lost, Dib," Zim said.

"Can he see either of you?" Dib asked Jack.

"Not yet," Jack replied.

"GIR! Dispose of the gargantuan head boy," Zim said, finally reaching up to Dib.

"You landed in a Dumpster, didn't you?" Dib asked Zim, who reeked of garbage stink and had a banana peel on top of his lopsided toupee.

"How dare you question me, Earth Monkey? Now get out of my way, I'm going to my mundane, ordinary Earth house. GIR, Minimoose, follow…follow…fol-low-" Zim stammered as he blinked.

There seemed to be two odd mists forming on both sides of Dib. That wasn't normal Earth behavior, at least, Zim had never seen it before. Now it was turning solid, kind of familiar. Zim gulped, fear wasn't going to get the best of this Irken soldier, no sir. Not even with two Halloweenies staring him down. Well, the Tallest weren't looking. Maybe a little fear wouldn't be too bad.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Zim screeched, turning around to flee before Jack picked him up. "He's the one you want, the one with the big head!" Zim yelled, pointing to Dib.

"What is he talking about?" Sally asked Dib.

"Long story," Dib replied.

"Release me you hideous bone creature, I am ZIM!"

"Well, you have enough sense to introduce yourself, albeit a bit rudely," Jack said, tilting his head and dropping Zim to the ground. "Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of-"

"HA! The tables have turned, Halloweenie," Zim said, pointing his extendable metallic legs from his PAK right into Jack's face. "These lasers will turn you into dust."

"See why I don't like Zim?" Dib asked Jack.

"And you, you're next, Dib just you- HEY!" Zim exclaimed, being pulled into the air by the very weapons he was threatening with.

"Sorry, Zim, but you're not turning anyone into dust," Sally said.

"Unhand me! I'm not afraid of you, I'm NOT! GIR! Help me! GIR?"

"I like this part," GIR whispered to Minimoose, who squeaked, nodded, and took some popcorn out from GIR's head.

"Looks like you're stuck, Zim," Dib said, smiling proudly.

"Only for the moment, but I will get my revenge on you Halloweenies, you just wait!"

"Can I drop him, Jack?" Sally asked.

"Yes, make sure he lands on his head," Jack said.

"Oh no you don't," Zim said, drawing the legs back into his pod and landing on his feet. "There. Now what brings you into my almighty presence?"

"We're going to your house to pick up three children. Have you seen them?" Jack asked Zim.

"Unfortunately. Those brats! They've destroyed my beautiful Base, I mean, house as I knew it. You sent them as spies, didn't you?" Zim asked Jack, pointing right at his face. "Trying to get even with me for trying to find inter-dimensional minions, aren't you? You disgust me!"

"For the record, you are the one who pulled Lock, Shock, and Barrel out of Halloween Town. Sally and I were the ones trying to keep them home."

"You lie!"

"No, it's the truth," Sally said.

"You lie as well. I'm taking you to my home myself, _none _of you can be trusted. You are to remove those horrible dirt children and make sure they never step in there again. If I even catch one of you touching anything I will send you to a dimension of pure dookie. Don't think I won't do it, because I will," Zim said receiving nods of agreement from Dib, Jack, and Sally before marching ahead of them and carrying GIR and Minimoose along.

Meanwhile…

"How could this happen?" Igor asked Zero, who looked at the broken machine just as dumbfounded as the hunchback. "If only Master was here, he could fix it," Igor said before a noise came from downstairs.

"Hurry up," ordered Doctor Finkelstein's voice.

"I'm going as fast as I can, geezer," Oogie Boogie's voice answered. "You weigh more than I do now."

"I seriously doubt that."

"He's back," Igor said as he and Zero rushed to meet Doctor Finkelstein only to find that the scientist wasn't himself.

"Igor, good, you're still here," said a mechanical cowboy in the voice of Doctor Finkelstein, brain pulsing from the top of its head.

"Master?"

"Yes, it is I. Blame this burlap ignoramus for my temporary body."

"Move over, ugly. We need to get to the machine," Oogie Boogie said before noticing Zero begin to growl at him. "You too, mutt."

"It broke," Igor said. "I'm sorry, Master. I failed."

"It's alright, Igor. We just have to see the damage and fix as much as we can. Oogie, I'm sure _you _know where the machine is," the cowboy body said before Oogie lifted it up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Oogie replied, huffing and puffing all the way to the room.

"It's smashed completely!" yelled Doctor Finkelstein.

"That was my point. Good job, huh?"

"At least it can be fixed. If you ever want to see those brats of yours again, we'll need to get this up and running very quickly."

"Where should I start, geezer?"

"Look for my plans, they should be on one of the tables. Sally! Help Oogie. Sally?"

"Sally went in," Igor said to Doctor Finkelstein as he and Zero walked into the room as well.

"What?"

"She went in to bring Jack and the children back home."

"That girl! Always letting her curiosity get the better of her," Doctor Finkelstein said before gasping. "She could be stuck forever! Oogie, You are going to fix this machine without rest until it works. No complaints, you sack of vermin!"

"These plans are all weird looking," Oogie Boogie said as he stretched out scrolls of plans.

"Now, Oogie!" Doctor Finkelstein exclaimed, arm shooting a bullet that split the seam right on the tip of Oogie Boogie's head.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Oogie exclaimed in return. If he had known sending Zim home for good would be this much trouble, Oogie figured maybe it wasn't so bad having the little weirdo around after all.

To Be Continued…


	17. Monster Hunting

Author's Note: Update time, fan boys and girls! Whew, don't ya just love it when the creative juices flow? I know I do. Before anything kicks off, just a friendly reminder- I am not Tim Burton or Jhonen Vasquez. I love their works and wouldn't mind having either or both of them as a mentor but I have to give them props for using their brainchildren. Of course, those two aren't the only ones behind the genius, but if I start listing now, I doubt the disclaimer will end. So, for the record once again, I am the unaffiliated fangirl writing this story.

"He wasn't so tough," Lock said to Shock and Barrel. "No wonder he can't take over the world."

"Yeah," Barrel added. "No match for these," he said, patting the gun he held.

"I wonder how far up in space he is," Shock said, looking at the sky in the hole Zim left above the door.

"Pretty far," Barrel said just as a screen hovered down to their level.

"What happened?" it asked.

"Oh, man, don't tell me you turned yourself back on," Lock said in an annoyed tone.

"Fail-safe switch. Don't think a few pulled cables can make me completely useless. It took a while, but I'm back," the computer said proudly.

"Can I?" Barrel asked Lock, pointing his gun to the screen.

"Save it," Shock said.

"Why?" Barrel asked.

"Look at the corner of the screen," she said to both Barrel and Lock.

Together, all three of them looked at the bottom left corner of the screen. It seemed to have some kind of box warning written in Zim's language. Shock touched the little box, enlarging it to take up the whole screen. Something was entering the furthest perimeter of the Base. Wait, no, _six_ somethings, all portrayed as circles, one a bit bigger than the others.

"So you really are good for something," Lock said to the screen.

"Might as well give you a head start. You three are going to be blown to bits anyway."

"Thanks," Shock said in a sarcastic tone.

"It's not Zim, there's only one of him," Barrel pointed out.

"It's Zim, GIR, Minimoose, and that big one is Dib," the computer said.

"Why is he so big?" Shock asked.

"Is he a giant?" Barrel asked, feeling a bit scared at the prospect.

"No, but his head is huge."

"What about the other two?" Lock asked.

"I dunno. New DNA, never been here before."

"Uh-oh," Barrel said, vocalizing exactly what Lock and Shock were thinking.

"No. It couldn't be," Lock said.

"But what if it is?" Shock asked.

"Then we'll give him all we've got," Lock said.

"What Zim's got, actually," the computer said, circles on the screen now entering the front yard.

"Quick, let's go down to all the rooms and grab as much stuff we can use," Shock said to the boys, who nodded and ran after her, luckily escaping notice… for now.

"Alright you intruders, get out of my Base!" Zim screamed as he entered, oblivious to the computer screen hiding back into the many cables on the ceiling.

"So much for the element of surprise," Dib muttered.

"Awww, they're not here," GIR said sadly before smiling and plopping himself on the floor to watch TV, Minimoose squeaking in agreement and hovering next to him.

"Tell me again how advanced your minions are, Zim," Dib said with a smirk on his face.

"Shut your noise tube," Zim answered before walking into the kitchen. "Hurry up! The faster you leave, the better."

"Any sign of them?" Sally asked Dib from the doorway.

"No. Quick, we're going into the labs. If you guys can keep Zim busy, I can do some major spying."

"Alright. Jack, let's go in," Sally said.

"But these little men are so fascinating," Jack replied from the outside just before a laser blast shot another hole in the Base's wall. "Coming!" he exclaimed.

"Dib Beast! Get your filthy gigantic head and those inter-dimensional stink creatures over here!" Zim ordered from the kitchen.

Dib sighed and motioned for Jack and Sally to follow him into the kitchen. Both Jack and Sally got quite a shock at seeing a toilet tucked away in the corner of the kitchen where it could be seen. They even more surprised when Zim got in and flushed himself down it.

"Do we-" Jack started to ask Dib, who immediately shook his head.

"He does that just for show. We can go down the trash can, move the couch, move that little dresser by the TV. There are entrances everywhere," Dib said, opening the trash can lid and jumping down it, once his head went completely through, of course.

"Let's look for one that isn't so… steep," Jack said to Sally.

"You're not scared, are you?" Sally asked Jack, who shook his head as he walked back to the front of the house.

"No, no. I just don't want either of us to fall apart when we land," Jack said as he looked towards a closet between the front door and the couch.

"Oh. Thank you," Sally said, watching Jack open the door and then slam it shut. "What's the matter?"

"There are people in there," Jack said. "I think they're people, anyway."

"Why would Zim hide people in a closet?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Welcome home, son!" exclaimed two voices from the closet.

"Son?" Jack asked, now even more curious. "They're his parents?" he wondered as he put his hand on the knob of the closet door yet again.

"Jack!" Sally exclaimed.

The door seemed to open by itself. Jack had turned intangible just in time to see a pair of manufactured humans roll out into the living room. One was made to pose as Zim's father, with glasses, a pipe, and two mechanical claws for hands. The other was Zim's lab-made mother, who had wheels instead of feet and whose eyes never seemed to line up correctly. If Zim was seriously trying to pass himself off as human, he definitely wasn't doing a good job. However, these RoboParents were good for something.

"Brush your teeth!" the RoboMom said to Jack, who had returned to normal to closer inspect these people.

"What?" Jack asked, watching the RoboMom dig a toothbrush out of her overall pocket.

"I said BRUSH!" she yelled, pouncing on Jack and forcefully brushing his teeth, not realizing that he escaped a few seconds into her tooth-brushing mission.

"I don't think that was toothpaste," Jack said to Sally, coughing into his left hand and seeing one large bacon strip there. "This world gets stranger and stranger."

"Let's just go down the trash can before they try anything else, please, Jack?" Sally asked.

"Alright, but just in case," Jack said before turning to GIR and Minimoose, who were still watching TV. "Could you please distract the closet people?"

"Shhhh. This is the best part!" GIR said, pointing to a filthy monkey growling on the television screen.

"You listen to your mother, son!" ordered the RoboDad before rolling himself into a wall.

"Never mind," Jack said before running into the kitchen with Sally, both going down the trash can to meet up with Dib and Zim.

Meanwhile…

"Stink beasts? STINK BEASTS? Face ZIM!" Zim yelled at random corners as he and Dib walked around the many lab corridors.

"They're not going to come if you call them stink beasts," Dib said. "I don't even know why I think there's a possible chance _you _can take over the world."

"I'm an Invader, Dib. I can do anything. The only reason I'm not exploding that giant head of yours at the moment is because of those three stink beasts hiding like weasels."

"It's not giant!"

"You're right. It's gargantuan."

"More like mega-gargantuan," said a voice that didn't belong to either Zim or Dib.

"Yeah, and another- what?" Zim asked, turning around to face a slightly taller boy, the one in red with a tail.

"Wanna play hide and seek?" he asked.

"We don't have time for games," Dib said.

"You sure about that?" asked the devilish boy as he pointed a gun at both Zim and Dib.

"We have time, plenty of time," Dib said nervously.

"HA! Maybe _you_ do, Dib! Put that gun down, you don't know how to appreciate something that amazing," Zim said to the devil boy.

"You're right. Maybe this time I'll press the button that makes you disappear for good," he said before catching a glimpse of something. "Later," he finished before running off.

"Come back here, you coward!" Zim yelled.

"Lock? Lock!" Jack's voice yelled as he dragged Sally a little past Dib and Zim. "You let him get away?" he asked the pair in a frustrated tone.

"He had a gun," Dib said.

"And?" Jack asked.

"I'm alive, Jack. I'm scared of guns, they can _kill_ me," Dib elaborated.

"Oh, right," Jack said.

"They don't scare me, I'm Zim," Zim said, crossing his arms and looking at Sally with interest. "Where's your hand, dirt creature?"

"My hand?" Sally asked, raising her left arm and seeing that her hand was indeed missing. "Not again."

"It had better not be doing anything to my equipment, or you will face my iron fists!"

"No, here it comes now," Sally said, pointing with her other hand to the hand walking towards them on its fingertips.

"Disgusting," Zim said in a repulsed manner. "Well, do what you need to and follow me. No stink beast tries to foil Invader Zim with his own weapons," Zim finished, marching off into another corridor.

"Are you missing anything else?" Jack asked Sally.

"No, that's it. You and Dib go ahead, I'll join you when I fix my hand," she said.

"I have a better idea," Jack said before turning to Dib. "Dib, you go ahead. You know this place a lot better than we do. There are three children in here. Sally and I can find one, you can find another, and Zim… well, if he's lucky, he can find the last one."

"And if he isn't lucky?" Dib asked.

"Well, you won't have to worry about the Earth being in peril anymore and I'll leave it at that," Jack said with a sheepish smile.

"See you later, then," Dib said to the pair before running off into the corridor, disappearing into another sector of the Base soon after.

"Need any help?" Jack asked Sally, who was putting the finishing stitches on her left hand.

"It's alright. As long as we don't go down any long falls for a while, I'll be fine," Sally said. "Where are we going to start looking for them?"

"I don't know. This place is a labyrinth. Good thing I convinced Dib to let us stick together. After all that's happened, I wouldn't want to lose you too," Jack said as he threw his arm around Sally's shoulder and began walking with her. "I'm not crossing any boundaries, am I?"

"No. Even if you were, our rules don't apply here, remember?" Sally asked.

Jack nodded and smiled to himself. Sally was warming up to him without acting all flustered and embarrassed? Yep. This definitely was a strange world. But a good kind of strange, at the moment.

Meanwhile…

"The nerve of those people!" Professor Membrane exclaimed to Simmons as they walked back into the lab.

"They didn't even let us sign release forms, sir," Simmons said in an equally insulted tone.

"Wrapping us up in their paranormal nonsense. We are men of real science, not of ghosts and zombies and whatnot."

"It's a crime, sir," Simmons said as they paused at a table with a body under a white sheet.

"What is this?" Professor Membrane asked one of the scientists taking notes over the body.

"An inter-dimensional traveler that didn't escape, amazingly enough. He is number six, sir," replied the note-taker.

"What do you have on him so far?" Professor Membrane said.

"He's brainless."

"Now, now, there is a more professional way of saying a person is slow-witted."

"No, sir. He really is brainless. Have a look," said the note-taker before walking out of the room for a break.

Professor Membrane, now very curious, pulled down the white sheet. He backed away a bit at the sight of the old man lying on the table, with beady eyes hidden under black goggles and lips protruding in a very unnatural way. Then there was the size of his head. It was quite large, perhaps as large as Dib's. Not only that, but there seemed to be a sign of bolts just underneath the skin of his head and under those marks, it was cracked open. Professor Membrane took a deep breath and pushed it back.

It was like opening a lid. The inside of this man's head was bare, no sign of brains or skull. Instead, it was an empty pewter basin, which was where his brain would go. The world where all of these creatures were coming from was certainly odd, to say the least. A skeleton, a fragmented woman, three shadows that belonged to unknown organisms and now a man without a brain? Professor Membrane was so bewildered he nearly fell down, if Simmons hadn't just placed a chair under him.

"Brainless. He really is brainless," Professor Membrane said.

"Astounding, sir," Simmons said.

"No. A bit frightening."

"What are we going to do with him? Is he going to be dissected?"

"Simmons, once all the travelers are gathered and sent home, I want the Dimensional Traveler destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Simmons asked. "But, sir, it is a breakthrough in science!"

"Is it? Look at the monsters it is producing, the things that come out of it when it isn't turned on. Whatever other dimension is out there, it is better off having no contact with this one."

"I understand, sir," Simmons sighed. "But I'm not so sure the rest of the crew will. When will they be informed?"

"When this mess is fixed," Professor Membrane said.

Simmons nodded before recovering the body and giving Professor Membrane some time alone to think. It was supposed to be a way to contact other life forms, beings that could impart wisdom on the human race. Instead, the Dimensional Traveler brought things of terror into the world. What had he done? Professor Membrane looked at a digital clock on the wall and thought of Dib. Now that he had his little green friend, he was surely capable of fetching those creatures, wasn't he? Well, he could always use a little more help. That was what Professor Membrane thought when he dialed his home number from his goggles.

"Hello?" Gaz's voice asked.

"Daughter? Good, you're still home."

"You want me to help Dib with the monster catching, right?"

"If you have time. I hate imposing on you, but you're the responsible one, the one with sense."

"And the funny one."

"Yes. Yes you are," Professor Membrane said, chuckling to himself. "You take care of yourself now. If things get out of hand for all of you, you can always reach me through my goggles."

"Can I earn an extra Family Night for all of this?"

"We'll see."

"Dad," Gaz said in a slightly demanding tone.

"I think I'm less swamped around November, I'm not too sure," Professor Membrane said, knowing just how to negotiate with his daughter.

"Alright, I'm going. Bye, Dad," Gaz said, hanging up the phone.

"Good luck," Professor Membrane said, both to his daughter and himself.

To Be Continued…


	18. Certain Doom

Author's Note: Oh my. What did the good-hearted professor get his son, and pretty much everyone else, into? Well, only one way to find out. Once again, the only thing I own in this entire story is the plot. No characters, no places, well… some dialogue, yeah, but that's it. All the good aspects we love about The Nightmare Before Christmas and Invader ZIM came from Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Henry Selick, Jhonen Vasquez, Kevin Manthei, and Steve Ressel. All of them, and their crews rock. Seriously.

"It's been another day," the Cyclops said to the fish woman who resided in the well. "What could be taking so long?"

"Who knows?" asked the fish woman as both stared at Doctor Finkelstein's laboratory, which seemed to light up at some points. There was definitely some work going on in there.

"They can't all be stuck in there for good, can they?" asked the harlequin demon, top portion of his head nearly spinning around.

"I wouldn't mind it. Boogie's Boys, I mean," the Cyclops said.

"Neither would I. They keep putting piranhas in my well," the fish woman said just as a horn honked and got everyone's attention.

"Any sign of them?" asked the clown with the tear away face as he rode up to the group on his unicycle.

"No," the Cyclops said.

"Whatever place they're all in, it's got a hold on them worse than a giant squid," the fish woman said, causing the group to nod in agreement.

"Did we ever see that green kid and his dog again?" the harlequin demon asked.

"Now that you mention it… no," the Cyclops said.

"Oogie Boogie probably got them," the clown said, followed by a sarcastic cackle. "We all know what happens when Oogie gets someone."

"Horrible things, and not the good kind either," the harlequin demon said before seeing a familiar tall hat make its way towards the group. "Mr. Mayor!"

"If you want any information on Jack and Boogie's Boys, well, it's not good," the Mayor said, face just as grim as his news.

"Really?" the clown asked.

"I don't have any proof, but I fear Oogie Boogie kidnapped Doctor Finkelstein for his own purposes. His assistant went into the portal herself to go find Jack and the kids, but so far, no one's come back."

"Wait, that doesn't explain what's going on in the lab," said the Cyclops.

"What do you mean?" the Mayor asked.

"Look," the fish woman said, pointing in the direction of the lab.

"But, that's not possible, unless…" the Mayor started, causing his head to spin around in order for him to smile. "Perhaps the doctor made it out of Oogie's clutches."

"He'd be the first one to do it, that's for sure," the harlequin demon said.

"How can we know if he did?" the clown asked.

"We go up there," the Mayor said, hobbling towards the laboratory as slowly, but surely, curious Halloween Towners followed him.

Meanwhile…

"Finally. If I could sweat I'd be dripping," Oogie Boogie said to the mechanical cowboy housing Doctor Finkelstein's brain.

"You disgust me," said the cowboy. "And you're lucky it could be fixed."

"Yeah, yeah, now how do I go in that thing?" Oogie asked, pointing to the newly re-opened Continuum Portal.

"You're not going in," Doctor Finkelstein's brain said.

"Watch me," Oogie Boogie said with a smirk as he walked towards the portal, put in his right arm only to be forced back. "Hey!"

"Just as I thought, the other side is still closed," the brain said. "The only way to get to a closed portal is to have a Rift Maker on your arm. I only made two and those are currently on the other side."

"You can always make a third one," Oogie Boogie bargained as the doorbell rang.

"You'd better get that, I'm less mobile than usual," the brain pointed out.

"Hey, ugly!" Oogie Boogie yelled to Igor, who had been standing outside the room with Zero. "You and the mutt better get the door. Whoever it is, don't let them in."

"Yes, sir," Igor said reluctantly as he and Zero walked down to the door and opened it to half of Halloween Town.

"Hello again, Igor," the Mayor said.

"Shhh," Igor hissed. "Oogie's upstairs," he whispered.

"What? I'm going home, forget this," the harlequin demon stated, turning around before the Cyclops grabbed his arm and made him stay put.

"Did he bring Doctor Finkelstein?" the Mayor asked Igor in a quieter tone.

"Master's home… sort of," Igor said, Zero whining in agreement.

"How can he be sort of home?"

"Brain here, body not."

"Oh," the Mayor said, face changing to show his despair.

"Brain's fine though. Fixed portal."

"It was broken?" asked the clown, balancing on his unicycle.

"Oogie broke it."

"We can't let him get away with this, Mr. Mayor," said one of the vampires.

"He's probably trying to get rid of the Bone Daddy, and that's just not cool," said the sax player, causing Zero to growl at the idea.

"Now, calm down folks. This is Oogie Boogie we're talking about," the Mayor said in a nervous tone.

"So? There's one of him and more of us," the werewolf pointed out.

"Alright, alright. We'll do this the democratic way. Who wants to go inside and confront Oogie Boogie and meet certain doom?" the Mayor asked seeing nearly every hand, tentacle, paw, forelimb go up. "And who doesn't?" he asked, seeing no movement. "Well, on to certain doom," he finished, dodging the towners dashing right into the laboratory.

"Ugly? Ugly, what's taking so- AHHHHHH!" Oogie Boogie yelled, watching as a good portion of Halloween Town stood right in front of the door to the portal room. "What do you people want?" he asked, regaining his usual detached attitude.

"You-you've gone t-too far this time, Oogie," the Mayor said when he got to the head of the crowd, obviously a nervous wreck.

"Yeah? Well, what are you all going to do about it?"

"Careful, Oogie, you're greatly outnumbered," said Doctor Finkelstein's brain.

"So? The only one with enough backbone to stand up to me is gone, I'm not scared one bit."

Three Minutes Later…

"You're all begging to be buzz-sawed!" Oogie Boogie yelled from the table the Halloween Towners had strapped him to.

"Amazing," the scientist's brain said to the Mayor.

"All it took was some team spirit, really," the Mayor replied, the pride of what they had all down taking up his face.

"Sorry, what I meant to say is that it is amazing the straps didn't break around Oogie, his being so fat and all."

"Oh," the Mayor said, face revealing his disappointment.

"Still it takes care of one problem," the brain said.

"And the other ones?" the Mayor asked.

"It all depends on what happens on the other side now."

"And we can't help?"

"I'm afraid not. If I could make another Rift Maker, I would, but this body's only good for one thing," the brain said, demonstrating by shooting a hole in the wall.

"Untie me! Nobody disrespects Oogie Boogie! NOBODY!" Oogie yelled, trying to squirm his way from the bonds.

"If any of you wish to force feed him Deadly Nightshade, Sally keeps it in the cupboard downstairs," the doctor's brain announced to the towners, who all stared at Oogie Boogie with much less than caring looks.

"Yeah, you're all brave when I'm tied up! Just wait until I'm free, not even that bone head will save you then!"

"We'd better take turns keeping an eye on him, so he doesn't escape," said the werewolf.

"Mayor, you're in charge, you do it," said the eldest of the vampire brothers.

"Me?" the Mayor whimpered.

"Who thinks the Mayor, as head of the town, should keep the Boogie Watch until tomorrow?" the harlequin demon asked, causing everyone, except the Mayor's and Oogie Boogie's, of course, to raise a limb up in the air.

"I don't like democracy anymore," the Mayor mumbled to himself as one by one, the towners left until he, Igor, Zero, and some of Doctor Finkelstein were left with a restrained Oogie Boogie.

Meanwhile…

"No one here," Sally said, peeking into a room filled entire with rubber piggies. "At least, no one we're looking for."

"Excuse me, have you seen three kids running around here?" Jack's voice asked in the room next door.

"Nope, but that's ok. I sure am HAPPY!" replied the person Jack was talking to.

"Thanks," Jack said, a bit disturbed, as he walked back to the rubber piggy room.

"Who was that, Jack?"

"Kid in a tube. Looked happy to be there."

"This place is creepy, even by our standards," Sally said as they proceeded to the next room.

"Indeed," Jack said as they walked in to find that the room was filled from floor to ceiling with walnuts. "What does Zim do with these?"

"He obviously doesn't eat them," Sally replied, walking to the next room and then having a net thrown on her. "Jack!"

"Oh, great," said a disgruntled voice, belonging to a girl who poked her head out of the room.

"Shock!" Jack exclaimed.

"Catch me if you can," she taunted before running off.

"Let's go, before she gets too far ahead of us," Jack said to Sally, once she untangled herself from the net.

"Think we can reuse this?" Sally asked him as they followed Shock.

"Definitely. It's finding her that's going to be the prob-" Jack started before stopping in his tracks.

"Jack? What is it?" Sally asked, the only response from Jack being a pointed finger forward.

"Miss me?" Gaz asked in a sarcastic tone, never looking up from her Gameslave.

"How did you get down here so fast?" Jack asked.

"GIR showed me a shortcut."

"Why are you down here?" Sally asked.

"The RoboParents were bugging me. I figured I could ditch them, let them loose on Dib. Thing is, I haven't seen Dib yet, and you guys are already here, so…"

"Want some dinner, sweetheart?" asked the RoboMom, throwing a bag of flour that hit Jack right in the face and covered him with flour dust.

"Not that, honey, it gives me diarrhea." The RoboDad added, rolling right behind Jack and Sally, turning around to face them and then looking at the pair with an insane glare. "Yep! Diarrhea!"

"Have fun," Gaz said to Jack and Sally as she walked away.

"You can't just leave us here!" Jack yelled after her.

"Too late, I already did," she replied, ignoring the sounds of struggling between the RoboParents and the inter-dimensional visitors.

Gaz had more important things to do. Like finding the most horrible torture device in the whole Base and somehow strapping Dib to it. Ok, so she was supposed to help him. It didn't mean she couldn't have some fun first. After all, she could have stayed at home, drank soda, watched TV, and played her Gameslave uninterrupted without even lifting a finger for Dib. Did she? No, but that didn't mean Dib could get away scot-free for messing up a Zimless day for her.

Meanwhile…

"Barrel? Lock?" Shock asked as she turned another corner. "Where are you guys?"

"A-ha!" yelled a voice behind Shock. "Yes! I found one, now wait until I find a way to catch you," said the large-headed boy Shock was now facing.

"You're Dib, aren't you?" Shock asked. "The computer was right, you do have a big head," Shock said, a bit disgusted at the mortal.

"Take that back, or I'll do stuff. Worse stuff than I have planned."

"Yeah right," Shock said just as Dib took out a transparent cord with a greenish glow to it from the inside pockets of his jacket.

"Inverted ectoplasm coated, that means it can catch you and you can't phase out of it," Dib said, striking a heroic pose once he finished.

"That'd be interesting, if you could catch me," Shock said, breaking out into a run.

Of all the ghost children Dib could possibly be chasing, it had to be one so fast. Whether his oversized head or lack of outdoor exercise caused his slowness, it was killing his chances of getting the girl. As he continued his run, Dib tied the rope into a lasso and aimed for her. As they rounded a corner, Dib threw the lasso and felt it tighten around something. Success! Dib pulled his catch back towards him to find that it wasn't the girl after all.

"You HORRIBLE human!" Zim yelled. "Get this OFF me!" he continued, struggling against the rope.

"Nyah! Why can't I catch you when I need to!" Dib yelled in frustration. "Which way did she go, Zim?"

"I'm not saying another word until you untie me!"

"Fine, fine," Dib sighed, undoing the lasso and freeing Zim.

"Pitiful creature. You'll never be able to stop me like that, not that I mind."

"Which way, Zim?"

"She joined a pudgy cohort of hers and ran towards the- OH NO!" Zim exclaimed.

"What?" Dib asked.

"They were running to the Voot Cruiser Room! If they do ANYTHING to my ship, I will find a way to re-kill them!" Zim yelled, popping his metallic legs from his PAK and scuttling after the pair of ghost children.

"Zim, wait! I can't run that fast!" Dib yelled after him, wishing for a moment that he had a PAK before shuddering at the thought of something so, well, inhuman. He would find another way to the Voot Cruiser Room anyway; it wasn't as if he didn't know where it was.

To Be Continued...


	19. Runaway Cruiser

Author's Note: Boogie's Boys might get their hands on Zim's space ship? Nothing about that seems safe to me. Not that safety matters. After all, most of the characters in this story are already dead. The dead folk belong to The Nightmare Before Christmas, which I enjoy greatly but do not own rights to. The people, and alien creatures, which are alive came from Invader ZIM, a brilliant series that I had no part in creating in the first place. Now, using and abusing the characters for my own fictional gain? That I do admit full responsibility for.

"He was gonna tie me up! Big headed weirdo," Shock said to Barrel as they got closer and closer to the end of the corridor.

"Let's hide in that room," Barrel said to Shock, pointing to a circular doorway straight ahead of them.

"Yes, Barrel, because no one's going to think of looking in the only room this hall leads into," Shock said sarcastically.

"Got any better ideas?" Barrel asked, smirking when Shock didn't answer.

"Like _taking_ what's in this room?" Lock asked, door opening to reveal that he had been waiting for Shock and Barrel.

"Finally! Jack brings a whole bunch of people trying to catch us and you run off," Shock complained as she dragged Barrel into the room.

"What is this place?" Barrel asked as Lock closed the door behind them.

"I don't know, but it has something really neat," Lock said, pointing to something just ahead of the trio.

"Whoa," Shock and Barrel said in unison as they saw what Lock was pointing at.

'Whoa' was the perfect word to describe it, whatever it was. Sitting atop a platform made of cables was some kind of dark pink and purple… thing. It could have been a car, if it had wheels. Still, it looked as if one could get inside and move it around. Maybe it could fly too, if they found the right buttons. Without another second of hesitation, the three ran up to it and banged on the windshield, only to have it open with quite a surprise.

"So you're the ones everyone's looking for," Gaz said smugly from the inside of the cockpit.

"Don't even think about trying anything," Lock said to her.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Shock asked.

"Doesn't matter who I am. And if you think each room has only one entrance, you're wrong," Gaz said.

"Why are you telling us this?" Barrel asked.

"Don't you know help when you see it? Great, there _is_ a world stupider than this one," Gaz said sarcastically.

"Take that back," Shock said.

"You don't want to get on my bad side, so I suggest you all shut your traps and listen to me," Gaz said, watching the trio grow silent with a touch of fear. "Good. Now, this thing I'm sitting in is Zim's space ship. You can get out of here in it, if you steer it the right way."

"Which way?" Lock asked just as the door to the room opened again.

"My VOOT CRUISER!" Zim screamed. "Get your filthy non-Irken meat out of my ship!"

"That's for you to find out," Gaz said as she jumped out of the cockpit, allowing the trio to hop in.

"Dibsister? You horrible traitor!"

"Shut up, Zim," Gaz said.

"Shut up? No one tells almighty ZIM to 'shut up'. NO ONE!"

"Yeah? Well, I'd move if I were you."

"Never! Nothing will move me from this spot."

"If you say so," Gaz said, nodding to the Voot Cruiser slowly rising in the air behind her.

Meanwhile…

"Quick, this way!" Jack exclaimed to Sally, dragging her into a room.

"Eat your weasels!" the RoboMom said, following them in there.

"No, this way," Sally said, leading Jack into another room.

"We need to spend quality time together," the RoboDad said, electrifying his claws and chasing after them.

"They're everywhere! How can they keep following us?" Jack asked Sally as they ran out of that room and further down the hall.

"Jack?" Sally asked.

"Yes?"

"Why are we leaving little white spots behind us?"

"Little white spots?" Jack asked, pausing to look behind them. Sure enough, there was a trail of white where they had just passed. "How odd," Jack said.

"It's powdery," Sally said, bending over to feel one of the spots before getting a closer look at Jack. "I know what it is. Jack, you're still covered in flour."

"Really?" Jack asked, looking as his suit. "Hold on," he said, turning intangible. Sally watched all the flour that had gathered on him fall into a pile on the ground. "How about now?" Jack asked once he turned visible.

"It's all off," Sally said just before a rather large head passed them and then came back.

"Oh no!" Dib exclaimed.

"Well, we're happy to see you too, Dib," Jack said in a slightly cynical tone.

"No, no. That's not it. If I'm here with you guys, I'm obviously going around in circles! Zim! He left me to rot in this horrible maze," he ranted as he began to walk away from Jack and Sally.

"You don't want to go that way," Sally said.

"Why?" Dib asked before a wooden spoon hit him in the forehead.

"Do your homework!" the RoboMom yelled to Dib, appearing at the end of the corridor.

"That's why," Jack said to Dib.

"We can ditch them by getting up to the house, follow me," Dib said to Jack and Sally as he now ran ahead of them.

"Should we tell him about his sister?" Sally asked Jack as they followed.

"After we've made it to safety," Jack replied.

"There has to be an elevator around here," Dib said, looked around the halls before pausing in front of a seemingly endless pitch-black corridor. "What the-"

"Lights?" Jack asked, looking at what seemed to be to headlights off in the distance.

"I hear something too," Sally said. "Something… familiar."

It was familiar. It was a scream, indignant and a bit afraid. It was Zim! Yes _that_ voice was unmistakable, but why was Zim screaming as two headlights came towards Jack, Sally, and Dib? The answer came when the Voot Cruiser steered by Lock, Shock, and Barrel made it into some light, revealing that Zim had his back to the windshield and could not move from the sheer force of the cruiser's speed.

"Dib-beast-stop-the-ship-AHHHHH!" Zim screamed very quickly, almost unintelligibly.

"How are we going to stop that?" Dib asked.

"We might not be able to stop it, but we can keep track of it," Sally said as she held out the net Shock had thrown on her earlier.

"Stop-stop-stop-stop-STOP!" Zim screeched as the cruiser got closer.

"Zim, catch the net!" Dib said as he grabbed the net from Sally and prepared to throw some of it to Zim before stopping. "Wait. Why am I even bothering to save Zim? He's evil!"

"Oh, here. I'll take the net," Jack said impatiently as he took the net from Dib and threw one end to Zim, who caught it.

"Jack?" Sally asked before the three of them jumped to one side of the corridor to let the ship pass.

"There, now that wasn't so hard," Jack said as the ship flew right by.

"Jack?" Sally asked once more.

"Yes?" Jack asked.

"You'd better hold on to your end of the net very tightly," Sally said, grabbing his free hand.

"Why?" Jack asked before he felt the force of the ship pull the both of them into the air.

"Guys? Wait! Dib yelled, running as fast as his legs could carry him. "No, no! Slow down, slow down!"

"Missed them?" asked a voice behind Dib.

"Gaz?" he asked, turning around to face his sister.

"Maybe that head of yours slowed you down."

"Why does everyone think it's big?"

"Because it _is_ big."

"I don't have time for this. I have a ship to catch."

"On foot? Good luck," Gaz said sarcastically as she walked to another hallway.

"Where are you going?" Dib asked Gaz.

"I've seen you fail miserably with no chance of redeeming yourself. I'm going home to enjoy the rest of the day."

"Wait, I'm going too. I have to get out of here before I completely lose the cruiser."

"Dib, it's a pink and purple space ship, how can you lose it?"

Meanwhile…

"Press the red button. The red one!" Lock said to Barrel as Shock checked what Zim was dragging behind them.

"I don't think that'll get rid of him," Barrel said, referring to the screaming alien on the windshield.

"Just do it," Lock said.

"Guys, you'd better take a look at this," Shock said to Lock and Barrel, pointing at something Zim held in his left hand.

"When did he get that?" Barrel asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Lock said just as Zim's screaming started to turn into cackles.

"What's he laughing at?" Shock asked.

"He's snapped," Lock said, shaking his head and smiling. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll jump off," he finished before he, Shock, and Barrel heard a knock.

"Play time's over, kids," Jack Skellington said, holding on to the netting Zim had in his left hand and looking quite sternly through the windshield into the cockpit.

"Red button, Barrel!" Lock yelled once more.

"Got it," Barrel said, practically jumping on the button.

Unfortunately for the terrible trio, the button allowed the windshield to open in half, allowing Zim, Jack, and Sally to fall into the cockpit. Now, the Voot Cruiser wasn't that large a ship. It was meant only to fit Zim and GIR on their mission to conquer the Earth. That was it. Now, with roughly six people in the ship, the controls were basically impossible to get straight. This resulted in the Voot Cruiser crashing through ceiling after ceiling until it hurled out of the Base itself, right behind GIR and Minimoose.

"Oooh! Master's going on a trip! I'm gonna go too, wanna come Minimoose?" GIR asked.

Minimoose made a sour face and squeaked.

"But it'll be fun! We can dance with the weenies and chase leprechauns."

Minimoose squeaked sternly before facing the television again.

"Okie dokie!" GIR said, saluting with his tongue out before shooting off into the sky and following the out of control Voot Cruiser.

Minimoose squeaked in relief at the thought of having the television and the Base all to himself. At least, before he heard the sound of bickering. He squeaked inquisitively at the desk next to the kitchen entrance before it slid over and the floor beneath it opened. Out stepped Dib and Gaz, who apparently were arguing over how getting the Voot Cruiser back on Earth mattered to the inter-dimensional crossers.

"You don't understand, Gaz. If the Voot Cruiser goes out of atmosphere, those dead kids could regroup in one of Zim's outer space doom scheming places," Dib said, pausing at the hole it left.

"So? They looked pretty stupid. Bone Face probably doesn't want them home anyway," Gaz said.

"Of course he does! If he didn't want them home then he would have gone back without them. Besides, it's bad enough having Zim on this planet. Those dead kids are just as bad, worse since you can't kill them," Dib said.

Minimoose squeaked in an irritated tone to Dib and Gaz.

"I know, he is stupid, isn't he?" Gaz asked Minimoose.

"I'm not stupid, I'm the Earth's only hope!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, try getting back out without my help then, Earth's only hope," Gaz said, pushing Dib into the pit left by the Voot Cruiser and smirking as the scream he let out faded until all that was heard was a very faint thump.

Gaz looked over to Minimoose, whose eyes were wide open and jaw hanging in shock. It squeaked quietly before Gaz left the Base, not caring at all about whether or not Dib would find his way out. Minimoose looked into the pit and squeaked once more before turning to watch more TV. He would've gone down to help Dib, but, well, this was a really good show.

To Be Continued…


	20. Flights, Falls, and Farewells

Author's Note: My, my, they've all been careening about in that space ship for quite a while now. To be quite honest, only the characters from Invader ZIM should have anything to do with space ships. I kind of dragged characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas into their mad world, not that their world is any saner. Nope, both Jhonen Vasquez and Tim Burton came up with some quality madness; I'm just using the elements. Now sit tight, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Dib woke up with an ache in his back. As he looked up, he could see the very top of the pit he had fallen into. Under normal circumstances, he should have been dead. Then again, Earth's only hope couldn't just abandon the whole planet, could he? No. Definitely not. Dib got up, made sure he hadn't broken any bones before getting a good look at where he had landed. Rather, on whom he had landed. Dib was standing on the broken heaps of metal that were once Zim's RoboParents. Well, that was one thing out of the way.

"There has to be a way out of here fast enough to catch up with Zim," Dib said to himself.

"Nope. You're pretty much doomed," said the voice of the computer as a screen hovered past Dib.

"Hey! I was talking to myself!" Dib yelled before realizing that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Doomed _and_ crazy. Big headed too," the screen said, stopping to face Dib.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to save the world here," Dib said before smiling to himself

"Hey, um, Zim's computer?"

"What?"

"You know, if I catch those dead kids, they can't come back and mess up the Base anymore. Though, I can't really do anything if I'm stuck down here."

"Oh no you don't! You're trying to trick me with your tricky human… tricks!" the computer exclaimed defensively.

"Ok. I'll just stay here and plant bugs in your system. Bugs that'll make you, I don't know, obey the dead kids without question. Heck, obey me without question too while I'm at it."

"No! That'd be helping the enemy. But, getting you out of here is helping the enemy too. Overheating!"

"Zim always wants me out of the Base anyway, think about it. Or calculate. Whatever you alien computers do."

The screen facing Dib said nothing as it paced in front of him. After much deliberation, it hovered slowly away from Dib, who took it as a sign to follow. By the time the screen stopped, it had led Dib to something rather peculiar: a room that housed a giant, floating metal pig. Dib figured this had to be some kind of a joke, or worse, a trap. When he started to back away, a claw came from the ceiling of the room, lifted Dib by the collar of his jacket and placed him on the pig.

"What is this?" Dib asked.

"Voot Cruiser Transportation Unit. Disguised as a pig to keep humans from suspecting abnormal behavior," the computer said in all seriousness.

"I can't believe this. How do I steer this thing?" Dib asked as he placed his hands on the pig's ears.

"Hold on," the computer said before tapping the disguised transportation unit on its "back"

The next anyone saw of Dib, he was dozens of feet in the air, screaming his large head off and holding on to that pig for dear life.

Meanwhile…

The bumblebee buzzed happily from flower to flower, collecting and spreading pollen and thinking of nothing but the hive. Yes, it would have to be going back soon if it was to make any honey today. After resting in one final sunflower, the bumblebee took off into the air, unaware of what was coming towards it.

"Hold still, Lock!" Jack yelled, pinning one of the trio at the very bottom of the cruiser.

"I'm Barrel!" yelled the figure being pinned.

"My mistake," Jack said in an apologetic tone before he was elbowed in the neck. "Do you mind?" he asked the squirming alien on top of him, who ignored the Pumpkin King.

"Get your filthy hands off of ZIM!" the Irken yelled to Shock, who was piled on top of him, Jack, and Barrel.

"I wish I could. You had to press that stupid button, Barrel!" Shock yelled.

"Lock told me to," Barrel said from the bottom of the pile.

"Sure, blame it on me," Lock said, struggling under Sally, who had somehow managed to stay on top of the pile.

"How can we land this?" Sally asked, confused by all the buttons.

"HA! Your inferior brainmeats cannot possibly begin to comprehend the brilliant landing techniques of the cruiser. Allow me," Zim said to Sally, as he crawled his way to the top of the pile, forcing Sally to occupy the space he had just left. Yes, the one right on top of Jack. Naturally.

"A bit close for comfort?" Jack asked Sally, sheepishly.

"Could you tell?" Sally asked in return, feeling her cheeks begin to grow warm.

"Come now, we had practice with that net Dib's sister used on us before."

"Yes, but we weren't so cramped then," Sally said right before Shock kicked the back of her head. "Ow! See what I mean?"

"Shock! Apologize for kicking Sally in the head," Jack said.

"Where else am I supposed to kick? I can't move," Shock complained.

"At least you're not all the way down here," Barrel said from underneath Jack and Sally.

"Shut up! I need utter silence to concentrate," Zim said to the group before looking straight ahead of him and gasping deeply. "No!"

"What?" Lock asked in an annoyed tone.

"Bee. A hideous Earth bee right in front of us, I'm steering around it."

"Around that little thing?" Lock asked, pointing to the teeny bumblebee flying in front of the cruiser.

"Do not question ZIM!"

"You baby, just squish it," Lock said, pressing a button on the control panel that sent the cruiser right against the bee.

Irken technology was very tricky. Space ships built by the Irken Empire could withstand the worst conditions, from the blistering fires of stars to temperatures thousands of degrees below zero. The most fierce of all animals could tear and bite at the ships without leaving so much as a scratch. However, for some horrible reason still unknown to Zim, not only could the Voot Cruiser not squish bees, but all of its functions broke down the moment it came in contact with any bee. So, while the bumblebee managed to fly away relatively unharmed, the Voot Cruiser sped out of control and went crashing down through the roof of an abandoned warehouse near the center of the city.

"You undead moron!" Zim yelled at Lock the moment the windshield opened, allowing the Irken to jump out and inspect the damage.

"What kind of space ship can't squish a bee?" Lock asked Zim in a frustrated tone as he jumped out after him.

"An AMAZING one! It's owned by me, ZIM!"

"Big whoop," Shock said as she climbed out of the cruiser, followed by Jack, Sally, and Barrel.

"I never wanna fly again," Barrel said.

"We're lucky the humans haven't seen us. I should re-kill you for almost blowing my cover," Zim said to Lock, Shock, and Barrel.

"Well, you can't. So we'll just be going now," Shock said as she and the boys turned around to find Jack and Sally staring down at the three of them.

"Yes, we'll all be going home," Jack said.

"You can't make us!" Lock yelled to Jack.

"Yeah! We'll just turn invisible and run away," Barrel said.

"We can turn invisible too," Sally said.

"Come on, you three, we've intruded enough on this world," Jack said.

"Yes, they've ruined my Base!" Zim exclaimed.

"But we can't go, we have a job. We're taking over the whole planet," Lock said.

"Who gave you that idea? Taking over Earth is my job!"

"Not anymore. The tall guys gave it to us," Shock said.

"How dare you just refer to the Almighty Tallest as 'guys'? Disgraceful!" Zim yelled. "And such lies you're telling! The Tallest would never give such an important mission to non-Irkens. Filthy liars!"

"Enough!" Jack yelled, causing even Zim to jump up a little. "Lock, Shock, Barrel, we are going home whether or not you want to because I did not go through all the trouble of trying to rescue you to go home empty-handed!"

"Jack?" Sally asked him after noticing something out of the corner of her eye.

"Furthermore, you are going to apologize for Zim for making a mess of his Base. It is not your personal playroom."

"Yes, sir," the trio said in unison, heads hung down respectfully.

"Jack?" Sally asked once more.

"Yes?" Jack asked Sally, only to watch a small, giggling robot crash through a window of the warehouse and land right before them.

"GIR! About time you came to fetch me from these stink beasts," Zim said.

"Whoo! We're having a party! Awwww, I wish I brought waffles," GIR said, fluctuating from happy to sad in less than thirty seconds before reverting to happy once more.

"No, GIR, this isn't a party."

"Yeah it is. Dib's coming!"

"The Dib? Why? Where is he?"

"He's riding on a giant pig," GIR stated, tongue sticking out once he finished that sentence.

"Giant pig?" Jack asked before the question was answered.

No less than a minute after GIR announced Dib's arrival, a giant metal pig fell through the same hole the cruiser had left on the warehouse. On top of it was Dib, looking a little sick but relatively fine. At least the pig was able to track the cruiser, that piece of Zim's equipment miraculously worked. Now it was time to finish what they had all started. Dib tied Lock, Shock, and Barrel together using the inverted ectoplasm-coated rope.

"There. They can't phase out even if they wanted to," Dib said to Jack and Sally.

"Good," Jack said to Dib before turning his attention to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "Now, do you have anything to say to Zim and Dib?"

"We have to apologize to Big Head too?" Shock asked indignantly.

"Yes. I mean, no! His name is Dib," Jack said, smiling bashfully at Dib.

"Sorry for messing all your stuff up," Lock said to Zim in a forced tone.

"Sorry for saying your head's big, even though it is," Shock said to Dib, who shook his head and sighed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. Can we go now? These ropes are itchy," Barrel said to Jack and Sally.

"I suppose so," Jack said as he picked the three of them up.

"Are you coming with us, Dib?" Sally asked.

"Yeah, you know, to make sure you get home alright," Dib said.

"Thank you," Jack said just before Zim cleared his throat.

"I'm going as well. I should grace you with one final gaze at my wonderful presence before you go off to that cesspool you call a home," Zim announced, GIR smiling widely as he did so.

"Oh. Well, let's go then," Jack said in a slightly disappointed tone as the group of eight made it out of the warehouse and over to the labs.

Meanwhile…

Where was that boy? Professor Membrane's eyes continued to stare at the clock. From the clock to the brainless body, then to the clock once more at times. Dib, even though his sister went to help him, the professor couldn't help but worry. With that boy and his infatuation with the supernatural, anything could happen. It wasn't until he got a call through his goggles from security, a report of a large-headed boy raving about other dimensions, that he relaxed a bit. The professor sent Simmons to bring the group to him, and smiled under the collar of his lab coat when he saw them enter the room with Simmons.

"Sir, your son and his, um, friends," Simmons said nervously as Diband a lanky skeleton carrying three less-than-healthy looking children passed him.

"Son, you were able to do it after all. You've made me quite proud," Professor Membrane said.

"Thanks, Dad. Where is the Dimensional Traveler?" Dib asked.

"In another sector. Now, before I take any of you there, I need to ask if any of you recognize this man," the professor said as he moved over to reveal Doctor Finkelstein lying on a table.

"Baldy Duck Man!" GIR exclaimed, waving his dog-costumed arms before Zim shushed him. "I knew I forgot something!"

"Did your dog just-" Simmons began to ask Zim.

"Nonsense. That was, uh, me! Yes! I am a fan of the duck resembling bald man," Zim said nervously.

"Doctor!" Sally exclaimed as she ran over to the body.

"Doctor?" Professor Membrane asked.

"He's the mad scientist back home," Jack explained.

"Is he alright?" Sally asked before opening his head. "His brain! Where is it?"

"That's what we wanted to know," Simmons said, Zim relieved the human's attention had turned away from him.

"Knowing Oogie, it's probably back at home somewhere," Jack said. "We'd better get home quickly if we want to fix it."

"Thank you for keeping him, sir," Sally said to Professor Membrane as she tried to lift the mad scientist.

"Now, now, no need to strain yourself," Professor Membrane said as he helped her.

They walked down to the sector the traveler was kept in, making sure that no member of the group was lost or capable of escaping. When they got there, Simmons turned the machine on. The coordinates had to be reset, One-Zero-Two-Nine-One-Nine-Nine-Three, to make sure they were heading to the right dimension. First in were Lock, Shock, and Barrel, untied and looking rather sullen at going back home. Next was the body of the doctor, which Sally put in gently, feeling someone's hands on the other side take him from her grasp.

"May we have a few moments alone, sir?" Jack asked Professor Membrane, nodding to Dib, Zim, and GIR.

"I'll make sure they don't escape, Dad," Dib said.

"Well, you already caught them. Might as well say good-bye. Simmons, let's give them a few moments," Professor Membrane said to his assistant as they left the room.

"I knew it. I knew you couldn't resist my almightyness," Zim said pompously.

"That and, well, could you give me that arm piece you're wearing?" Sally asked Zim.

"Here, take it. It's from your filthy world anyway," Zim said, taking it off and throwing it at Sally's feet.

"Oh, before I forget, there is something I wanted to give you, Zim," Jack said, digging into a pocket of his jacket and pulling out the hat he was given during the night he and Sally visited a nightclub.

"Really?" Zim asked curiously.

"Yes, you definitely deserve it," Jack said waving his hands a bit over the hat, staring at it before giving it to Zim. "Now, don't put it on until you get to the Base, you'll spoil all of its power if you do," Jack finished, watching Zim grab the hat from his hands greedily.

"Come, GIR! To the Base," Zim said, marching out of the room.

"Bye, crunchy lady! I love you!" GIR exclaimed to Sally before following Zim.

"How could you?" Dib asked Jack, feeling betrayed.

"Don't worry, Dib. That hat won't help Zim take over the world," Jack said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "When he puts it on, he'll have nightmare visions for weeks."

"Thanks," Dib said, not knowing anything better to say.

"You're quite welcome," Jack replied.

"It was nice to meet you, Dib," Sally said, stooping over to pick up the arm piece Zim had thrown at her.

"Will I ever see you guys again?"

"Perhaps, one can never be sure of what can happen in the future," Jack said. "And if we do meet again, let's hope it will be under better conditions."

"Sounds good to me," Dib said.

"Good-bye, Dib," Sally said, ruffling his hair a bit.

"Hey, you never do that to me when we say good-bye," Jack teased Sally

"You don't have hair," Sally said off the top of her head.

"Oh, right," Jack said, feeling his skull with his right hand. "So long, Dib. And, if by chance we don't meet again, good luck."

"Thanks, and bye," Dib said.

And with another skeletal grin, Jack Skellington grabbed Sally's left hand and walked with her into the portal. Dib waved to them until they blended into their surroundings and vanished from sight. So left the nicest people Dib had ever known up to that point in his life. Of course, they were dead and from another dimension. Such was the life of a paranormal investigator.

To Be Continued…


	21. Back to Normal?

Author's Note: Surprise! I've decided that all of you lovely readers deserved a quick update to the story after that stretch without inter-dimensional madness. Unfortunately, this _is_ the last part of the story. Don't worry, I'll try to keep staying true to both movie and show, even though I don't own them. Now lay back, relax, and enjoy the show.

It was dark and dreary, and yet it was home. Jack could make out the Pumpkin Sun begin its descent through the windows of the laboratory. At least before he was nudged by Zero, who was barking happily at his return. Jack smiled and patted his dog on the head before his sockets wandered to quite a sight. Oogie Boogie was strapped to a metallic table, yelling at Lock, and Shock, and Barrel to free him.

"About time you all got back! Get these things off of me!" Oogie demanded as Lock, Shock, and Barrel went about releasing him.

"Why is he tied up?" Sally asked the Mayor, who was sitting at Oogie's side.

"Oogie's been a bad boy while you were all gone," the Mayor said, getting up and walking over to Jack. "I have reason to believe he was trying to get you stuck in another dimension permanently, Jack."

"You can't prove anything!" Oogie Boogie said to the Mayor as he got up from the table.

"We don't need to. Oogie, I suggest that you go home now," Jack said.

"And what if I don't, Bone Head?" Oogie asked Jack, getting in his face and pointing at him with his left arm.

""I'll do this," Jack said, tugging a loose seam on Oogie Boogie's arm, watching it unravel and bugs begin to fall out.

"AHHHH!" Oogie screeched, taking back the remains of his arm. "You'll pay for that, Bone Head! Kids, we're going home. Don't forget my cowboy," he finished as he walked out of the room.

"How are we going to carry that thing out of here?" Barrel asked Lock and Shock as all three of them looked at the metal cowboy lying on the ground.

"I'll take it down with you, if you promise to behave," the Mayor said in a slightly regretful tone.

"Oh, we'll behave," Shock said in an innocent voice.

"When don't we?" Lock asked, causing all three of them to burst into giggles.

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into," the Mayor said sadly as he picked up part of the cowboy and took it out of the room with the trio.

"I can't believe we're home," Jack said to Sally.

"Neither can I," she replied before voiced from the hall caught their attention.

"Careful now, Igor, I'm feeling a little light-headed," Doctor Finkelstein said as he wheeled himself into the room.

"Master's better now," Igor said, grinning.

"If I ever have my brain taken out like that again it will be too soon," Doctor Finkelstein said before turning to the Continuum Portal. "And as for this infernal thing... Igor?"

"Yes, Master?"

"Help me destroy it."

"What?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"Jack, my boy, surely you cannot be serious about going back into that thing, can you?" Doctor Finkelstein asked.

"Well, not to the same dimension, Doctor. Not yet. Sir, please, there are so many different places we can visit through the portal, things we could never imagine if we dreamed for years and years."

"Jack, my brain has had plugs in it and was installed into a firing range object within the past twenty-four hours. It gave me a lot of time to think. Whatever other dimensions are out there are dangerous. Just imagine if Oogie Boogie happened to work with a real evil genius instead of some crackpot. No, I'm not putting the town in danger again. The portal will be destroyed, end of story."

"Yes, sir," Jack said, defeated. "I think I'll be going home now," he finished, walking out of the room with Zero following.

"Yes, go ahead, you've gone through quite a lot," Doctor Finkelstein said, oblivious to the brooding tone Jack had in his voice before he left.

"Doctor, I think you'll be wanting these too," Sally said, passing him the two Rift Makers.

"Good thinking, Sally. Though, the next time anything bad should happen, I would like to think you wouldn't run off into the unknown and risk getting captured yourself. Don't frown at me, young lady, I'm saying this for your own good."

"Yes, Doctor," Sally said, sighing and walking out of the room, trying to ignore the sounds of Igor and Doctor Finkelstein destroying the portal.

Meanwhile…

"Come now, Son, have a slice of pizza," Professor Membrane said to Dib as he sat across from his son and daughter in the Bloaty's pizza booth.

"Yeah, Dad hardly gets off from work and you're sitting here taking space with your head," Gaz said before biting into her slice.

"I'm not hungry," Dib sighed.

"Just ignore him, Dad," Gaz said once she swallowed her bite of pizza.

"Son, please, don't let this whole experience discourage you from following real science. It really is fascinating, you know," Professor Membrane said.

"It's not that," Dib said as he took a slice of pizza.

"Oh, good. Finally, your phase of paranormal nonsense is-" the professor started before Dib interrupted.

"Not over, Dad," Dib said.

"What a pity," Professor Membrane said, tsk-tsking over the fate of his son.

"It isn't nonsense. Look at what came through the traveler. A talking skeleton and dead kids? A woman made of dead body parts and a brainless man? You can't call that normal science."

"I suppose not," Professor Membrane said, causing Gaz to look upon him skeptically. "Then again… perhaps the paranormal exists in their dimension."

"Finally, you see things-" Dib started before he was interrupted this time.

"But, if the paranormal exists in their dimension, then it doesn't exist here. Simple as that," Professor Membrane said.

"I give up," Dib groaned as he banged his head against the table, causing Gaz to chuckle at him darkly.

"So, we can do this again in November, Dad?" Gaz asked.

"Yes, I think I can free up some time then," the professor said.

"Good," Gaz said, smirking at a crestfallen Dib.

Things didn't get much better when Dib got home. First of all, he had to manually find each and every one of the ghost traps Gaz had set in his room. For such a small space, those were a lot of traps. Did Gaz offer to help? No. But she did laugh every time Dib got injured. Once that was done, Dib climbed his way up to the roof of his house and looked at the stars.

They were always beautiful to Dib, beautiful and mysterious. He always knew something lay beyond them, living proof of that turned out to be his mortal enemy. Now, there was something else he wished he could look at: dimensions. One couldn't find dimensions in the sky or the sea or any other Earthly place Dib could think of. The one way he could look for other dimensions was gone.

Dib sighed as he took something out of his inside jacket pocket. It was the picture Jack had taken of himself by accident. How funny to see someone who spent his afterlife scaring people look so shocked. Dib couldn't help but chuckle at it, and feel a little sad. He finally found some people who didn't call him crazy or laughed at his mission to save the Earth, and now he could never see them again. No, he had to stop thinking this way. Dib put the photograph back in his coat pocket and stood up on the roof.

"When I'm done capturing Zim, I'm going to do some dimensional research of my own," he said as he started to pace around. "Then I can see Halloween Town for myself, and any other worlds without having to worry about Zim. Until then, I'm just going to-" he said before pacing right off of the roof and landing in a garbage can near the back door of the house.

"You're talking to yourself and hanging out in the garbage?" Gaz asked as she poked her head out of the window. "If you stop showering and leave the house for good, you can be an official hobo."

"The Earth will thank me for this one day, Gaz," Dib said, causing Gaz to throw an empty juice box at his head.

"Sorry, I was aiming for the _rest _of the trash," Gaz said smugly before disappearing from Dib's sight.

The boy had infinite patience with his sister. Rather than getting up and pelting her back with garbage, Dib lay back and looked at the stars once more. You know, they didn't really look so bad from where he was at the moment.

Meanwhile…

"Another plan ruined by that Bone Head!" Oogie Boogie yelled as Lock, Shock, and Barrel sewed up his left arm.

"You'll get him one day, Oogie," Shock said.

"He's bound to screw up sooner or later. When he does, I'll be waiting for him," Oogie Boogie said as the final stitch was made. "Finally. Now you three go out and find me some replacement bugs."

"Oogie Boogie, sir, we're kinda tired," Barrel said.

"NOW!" Oogie Boogie yelled.

"Let's go, guys," Lock said to Shock and Barrel, leading them out into the Pumpkin Patch.

"I hope those tall guys aren't mad at us," Barrel said to Lock and Shock.

"They can't do anything to us now. It's Oogie we have to worry about," Shock said.

"I guess so," Barrel said before he and Shock bumped into Lock. "What?"

"It's Jack," Lock said, pointing ahead to the spiral hill.

"We'd better bug hunt somewhere else," Shock said, the boys agreeing with her as they ran off to a different section of the Pumpkin Patch.

Jack never saw the trio nearly approach him. He was busy looking at the stars himself. As he sat on top of the hill, he wondered just how many places and people he would never see. Then there was Dib. Without some kind of outer intervention, there was no way Jack would ever hear if Dib succeeded or not in his mission to save his world. In the time he had spent in that odd dimension, the eccentric large-headed boy had grown on the Pumpkin King. So had his world.

All of a sudden, everything around him seemed so boring. Same old pumpkins, same old hill, same old full moon among the same old stars. Every day was the same here. You wake up, scare some people, sleep, repeat. Why had Jack never seen it before? There had to be more to this afterlife, right? Was Halloween all there was?

"Jack?" asked a shy voice coming from the bottom of the hill.

"Sally," Jack said, looking to the back of him.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, I'll be going now," she said as she started to leave.

"No, wait," Jack said, getting up. "It would be rude of me not to walk you home."

"Thank you," she said when he reached her. "Jack, are you alright?"

"Not really," Jack said. "I kind of liked the idea of going to other dimensions, and now that's gone."

"After all that happened?" Sally asked, surprised.

"Yes, odd, right?" Jack asked, Sally nodding in response. "When I was there, all I wanted to do was come home, and now that I am home, I want to go back. And not only there, but any other place, as many places as I can find to visit."

"You don't like the place you're in now?"

"It's not that, Sally. I love Halloween, don't get me wrong. It's just… I don't know."

"Jack, go home and get some rest, I'll make something for you and-"

"No, Sally. Don't go sneaking around at night on my account, you need your rest too."

"I don't like seeing you like this Jack," Sally said, stopping in her tracks and looking straight into his eye sockets.

Sally had a stare that could pierce through anyone's soul if given the chance. Whether she realized it or not, Jack didn't know. All he knew at the moment was that something was happening, something he was quite unsure of. Sally seemed close to tears. Jack must have scared her again without realizing. He had to get that under control if he was going to keep his best friend.

"It's nothing, really. Don't cry, Sally," Jack said before slowly wrapping his arms around her, embracing the rag doll. "It will all be better tomorrow, you'll see."

"Jack," Sally said before the skeleton shushed her gently.

"Don't worry. I don't want to scare you, I'm sorry if I do. You're my best friend."

"Just don't run away alone looking for some grand adventure. Don't leave me, Jack."

"Of course not. You'll come along with me. We'll find more nightclubs and dance until dawn. Or until we go deaf, whatever comes first," Jack said, smiling when he heard Sally giggle. "Better?"

"Yes," Sally said, unwrapping herself from Jack's grasp and taking his left hand in her right.

"Now, let's get you home before curfew. Something tells me the Doctor isn't in one of his patient moods tonight," Jack said to Sally as they continued walking to the laboratory.

All the while, Zero had watched them. He whimpered a bit and sighed. His master could be such a fool sometimes. If Zero could speak English, he would tell Jack exactly how he was being a fool. Alas, Zero was a dog, and had to settle in the hopes that maybe some barks and body language would get his points across. For the moment, he was quite tired and when Jack found him on his way home, Zero floated alongside him, glad he was back and a bit curious to see just what Jack would have on his mind now that his inter-dimensional adventure had come to an end.

Meanwhile…

How could this happen? Red and Purple stood slack-jawed at their main transmission screen. There was Zim, ranting and raving over his horrible time with a burlap bug man of sorts. The three children they gave his job to were missing in action. Zim seemed to be their Irken equivalent of human cockroaches. He was small, annoying, and hard to get rid of, almost impossible to kill. With a sigh in unison, the Tallest turned off their side of the conversation without so much as saying good-bye to Zim.

"My Tallest? Hello? My TALLEST!" Zim yelled, ignoring that GIR was drawing pictures all over some blueprints of his. "Eh, must have lost the connection," Zim said.

"Wanna see my pictures?" GIR asked Zim, shoving what appeared to be stick figures of Zim, Oogie Boogie, Doctor Finkelstein, and himself into Zim's face.

"No, GIR, I have some business to attend to," Zim said, focusing his attention on the hat lying on the floor close to GIR.

Zim picked it up and stared it at for a few moments. He then proceeded to shake the hat up and down to shake loose any physically bad things that could be hiding in there. No, it seemed to be clean. With a deep breath, Zim put the hat on his head. Nothing happened initially. Zim grew impatient and tried to take the hat off. Only, it didn't come off. It stayed stuck to his head.

"Heh? What the-" Zim said before shrinking back in fear.

The notes of an unknown song began to play. When they did, monsters seemed to appear from every nook and cranny of that room. Zim did the best thing he could think of, he ran out of that room screaming. Unfortunately, there were more monsters there. No matter where Zim went, all he saw were monsters. There was nothing he could do to escape them, they ran the Base now.

"Get them away! GIR, help MEEEEEEEEE!" Zim screeched, rolling around on the floor, unaware of his mind's betrayal.

"I like that game!" GIR exclaimed as he too began to roll around on the floor and scream.

It was then that he abandoned his artwork. It consisted entirely of stick figures. A very tall one for Jack, one surrounded by hearts signifying the "crunchy lady", and three all stuck together for the undead trick-or-treaters. One with a larger than average head stood in for Dib. That one was being poked by a slightly shorter stick figure, Gaz, of course. On top of that ruined blueprint was the one GIR had drawn on earlier, with him, his master, the doctor, and Oogie. Together, they made quite a nice, if amateurish picture.

It would be one of the few records of the inter-dimensional adventure. Drawn by a dim robot, it was the simple story of what happened when science mixed with fate and two worlds went along for the wild ride. Neither of the worlds was normal before the experiment, and now, it was less likely that they would ever come close to normal again. Not that being abnormal is bad. On the contrary, it was what made them unique and worth visiting in the first place, if only for one brief time.

The End

Thank you all for reading my very first crossover! I never would have kept going without all of your wonderful support. Thanks! Oh, and for Jack/Sally fans, remember: this story took place before the movie. So if you feel like watching them take their relationship further, you can pop in "Nightmare" and enjoy. I totally recommend it. (Re-edit comment: In all honesty, I am very pleased with how this story turned out. It helped me bridge my old style with my new style, and bring back some good memories along the way. Thank you again for reading.)


End file.
